“If I’d have only earned $50,000 more....”
Well - that would depend, wouldn't it? $50,000 total, or $50,000 annually?
And the corollary “I wish I had spent more time at the office.”
My wife's grandfather was a preacher and wrote a little booklet called “A Life of No Regrets”. I never read it - the title seemed outlandish - although I suppose in the end he might have come up with the thought that being saved by Jesus Christ covers those regrets.
I was just telling my 20-year old daughter over dinner that mom and I did the best we could - and I reminded her of even years ago when they were young teens - mom and dad are going to mess up too. We might think we are doing the right thing, but we aren't. Just like you kids will mess up. But that is life. Hopefully we learn from our mistakes and sadly that is often how we learn.
But a life of no regrets - Hardly. However, I do not dwell on them. One friend of mine, the conversation invariably turns to his lamentations of leaving his home state, changing a job, selling Microsoft shares in 1994, etc. (Okay - I do see how selling those shares could nag at one!)
“I wish I had spent more time in the office”.
Said no one on their death bed, ever.