The regrets that bother us the most involve failing to live up to our “ideal selves.”&nbsp;We’re not as bothered by the mistakes we’ve made or the things we ought to have done as we are bothered by never becoming the person we truly wanted to be.

What we regret

Self Improvement

<ul><li>The actual self is what a person believes to be now, based on current attributes and abilities.&nbsp;</li><li>The ideal self is comprised of the attributes and abilities a person would like to possess one day— goals, hopes, and aspirations.&nbsp;</li><li>The ought self is who someone believes they should have been according to their obligations and responsibilities.</li></ul>

The theory of the 3 selves

People regret their inactions more than their actions in the long term.<ul><li>A mistake makes you feel a great deal of regret, but you get over it quickly&nbsp;because you most likely can fix it.</li><li>You can’t fix what was never done in the first place. Inaction, the utter lack of trying, is what will truly haunt you.&nbsp;</li></ul>

Regretting what we don't do

What is it you'll regret most about your life when your time is up? Failure to fulfill your duty and obligations? Or the failure to follow your dreams? New research from Cornell University suggests our biggest regrets have nothing to do with our responsibilities in life.