Things you wish you could have done

[pepparrot]

Been thinking about posting on this for a while and wondering how other people deal with not managing to do something you really wanted to.

I was at uni a number of years ago, and due to a lot of reasons ended up having to take time out for my mental and physical health. Once a year was up my (abusive) ex boyfriend convinced me that I wouldn't be able to cope with going back, the department offered zero support and were wholly uninterested in helping me.

I now really regret it, but for lots of reasons (mostly financial) it's not really going to be an option to go back. I've got a family now and a lovely supportive husband, but the course I dream of doing is in another city, so it wouldn't work. Maybe in 5+ years I might be able to think about it.

I just feel so frustrated now and upset, I was just wondering has anyone else been able to do the thing they'd written off? If not how did you get past it?

Become a barrister!

Develop a normal relationship with my mother - never going to happen!

Pursued a career in either art or journalism. The former was down to my unhelpful art teacher and the latter was purely down to me. Both involved lack of confidence in my abilities.

Buy a house so my children have financial security

Have a good career (love my job which I am grateful for but it doesn't pay enough!)

Have been more decisive when younger and have trained for said career

Got married

Saying that, I do have a lovely partner and three children, and in-tact mental health, which is more than I could have ever dreamed of when I was in the depths of an eating disorder.

I hope you get to do the course you want to do, OP.

Studied singing when I was young - nobody's fault I didn't, I didn't realise I had a good voice till I was in my 50s.

I wish wish wish I'd pursued a career in Radio, e.g. Broadcast Assistant, Producer, even Presenting.

For a whole host of reasons I ended up working in IT in the financial services industry... always stressed, often bored.

Sadly I feel too old to do anything about it now (late 40s).

Its definitely impacted my life though (negatively).

And for other people wondering whether to pursue their dream career... I've realised that we probably expend similar levels of time and effort (not to mention stress) doing work that we don't really want to do. So we may as well pursue work that we really want to do (easier to do when you're younger with less commitments I guess).

Thanks everyone. 😊 I'm feeling less down in the dumps today. I've thought about it, and I've found an online course in the subject area I'm interested in. It's not a degree or anything, but it's more like the first year of uni spread out over 3 years, costs a bit but not so much. I'd written it off because it wasn't a proper uni course but maybe it's a place to start. I'll probably look at doing it next year, after some commitments this year are done with.

Ah that's great, glad you're feeling more positive

I wish I had been a sister! As in have siblings!

Travelled more before having kids.
We've got 4dc so it's not possible with them really but when they are grown up I've told dh that's it we are off on an adventure!

shecamefromgreece My mum told me that before I had my first child, and I don't regret having him but I do wish that we'd maybe had a few more holidays under my belt and fun times. Oh well, like you I'll have to have lots of adventures when the babies are bigger.

I wish I had done some musical theatre.

Taking my career abroad. Instead I met my ex and I regret every day of it.

Now I'm too old and have more commitments than before which now renders working abroad impossible

Like a PP, been a sister.

I failed my last module for uni because I handed in the wrong document. I was absolutely shattered. Was due I start a masters funded by my employer. Since then though the extra time between the resit has given me an opportunity to evaluate things. I don't think the social work masters was for me just seemed the natural course. I'm now going back to college to retake my science GCSEs in September and plan on doing something completely different. Having to go right back to basics but feel really excited by it all. Wish I'd studied harder as a teen but it just sand the right time for me. Had a super dysfunctional home life.

I would have absoloutly loved to make sock puppets! As random as that is but how much fun they are! Alas I am uncreative.

A superficial regret - I wish we'd waited a bit longer before DC. Just a year or 2. To have a couple more holidays without DC. And have earned a bit more money. To be fair, we really wanted DC and all around us our friends were taking 9-18 months to fall pregnant so we started TTC earlier than planned and of course I got pregnant first month.

Serious regret - not finding out DS1 was lactose intolerant until he was 4 years old. Even the gastro pediatrician didn't pick up on it. We all thought "just" reflux. Years of horrendous nights and DS being sick daily.

I wish I'd sold up and sailed the world.

I wish I’d become a barrister rather than a solicitor

I wish I hadn’t been so pathetic with my abusive ex

I wish I’d continued with competitive gymnastics

Ive been thinking about this a lot lately.

Wish I'd had siblings and had sociable parents, so I could have grown up being sociable myself and enjoying people. As it is, I'm an often lonely introvert with on/off depression

Wish Id spent more time in my twenties building a career instead of hanging around with killjoy people and making poor relationship decisions. Wish Id put my brain to work and studied something.

I just wish Id valued myself.

Like a couple of others, i wish i had had singing lessons and learned to sing properly. I perform in am-dram and take decent roles but wish I'd had the time and opportunity to learn how to sing well.