I Wish... 5 Keys for living with less regret and more joy.

By Fiona E Brown

How would you finish this sentence, "I Wish.......?"  

 

Have you ever looked back into your past and wish you had done something differently?

How often do yo

• Language: English
• Publisher: YOUtopia WELLbeing
• Release date: Nov 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9780645967418

Fiona E Brown

Fiona Brown, founder of YOUtopia WELLbeing, is a professionally trained and highly experienced Life and Personal Leadership Coach, motivational speaker and public speaking coach, NLP and Matrix Therapies Master Practitioner, Conscious Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master/Teacher, and Registered Nurse. With a 17-year history of client success Fiona's 'no cookie cutter' approach has helped hundreds of people others achieve their goals and realise their dreams. Through her work and as motivational speaker and co-author of two Amazon number 1 best-selling books, Fiona has positively impacted thousands of lives. A natural leader, Fiona managed an award-winning youth leadership coaching program in country NSW for 7 years and co-facilitated personal leadership workshops in the slums in India and to students and teachers. Fiona also facilitated Google's #IamRemarkable workshops online and in person. Her current work includes personal development and public speaking coaching, training and facilitation in a career women's mentoring program, facilitating workshops and group coaching, writing, and energy healing.Over many years Fiona has held committee positions in local and state organisations. In her local community she holds many volunteer roles as a way of giving back and building community capacity through collaborations.Since losing both of her parents in her mid-30's and caring for ill and dying people throughout her 35-year nursing career, Fiona has become passionate about helping others live a life of least regret and most joy. Her first solo book about regret "I Wish... 5 keys for living with less regret and mor joy" released in November 2023, supports this mission.Fiona is a natural teacher and guide with a grounded, soulful presence. Her strength of character, dedication to her work, and true belief in the innate goodness of others enables her to guide them into stages of growth they never imagined achieving. Fiona lives bravely outside her comfort zone, and is a woman of wisdom, wit, and wonder.

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I Wish…

5 keys for living with less regret and more joy.

I wish… 5 keys for living with less regret and more joy.

Copyright © Fiona Brown.

First published 2023. YOUtopia WELLbeing Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the author.

This book and any associated materials, suggestions and advice are intended to give general information only. The author expressly disclaims all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or for any errors or omissions in this book. The adoption and application of the information in this book is at the readers’ discretion and it his or her sole responsibility.

The author, publisher or organisations are not to be held responsible for misuse, reuse, recycled and cited and/or uncited copies of content within this book by others.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Brown, Fiona 1967-

Title: I wish… 5 keys for living with less regret and more joy

ISBN: 978-0-6459674-1-8

Sketch artist: Justin Ortenburg, Ortenburg Design

Cover Design: Goerge Andis, Logo Lion

Interior Design and Typesetting: Luisa Tavares

Fiona is an amazing speaker, author, and coach and she shares her insights, wisdom and experience in this book which will take you on a thought-provoking journey.  This book will find its way to those ready to make change and transform their lives by being present in the moment.  She encourages us all to live an authentic life by celebrating joy and leaving regret behind.

Grace Lancken MBA - Newcastle Weekly

So beautifully written, this book inspires us all to live a full life, one that doesn't put off doing tomorrow what we could do today. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do that thing I've been putting off. I’ve learnt what a gift now is!.

Suzy Miller - CEO & Award Winning Leadership Specialist

Fiona has been instrumental in helping me reshape my beliefs, improving my mindset, and facilitating a profound transformation in my life. I'm absolutely thrilled that her impactful work will now reach a wider audience through her book. I am very fortunate to be among those directly touched by her coaching.

Juli Kokinovska - Interior and Building Designer,

Ortenburg Interior Design

CONTENTS

DEDICATION

INTRODUCTION

THE ANATOMY OF REGRET

SHADES OF REGRET

MY BIGGEST REGRET

CULTIVATING JOY

MY PHILOSOPHY

ACCEPT

KEYS TO ACCEPTING

AIM

KEYS TO TAKING AIM

ADVANCE

KEYS TO ADVANCE

ALIGN

KEYS TO ALIGN

APPRECIATE

KEYS FOR APPRECIATING

MY FINAL WORDS

MY HEARTFELT THANKS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NOTES

DEDICATION

Correna Davey was one of my best friends. We had only known each other for a few years before she died, but she was one of those people who came into my life for reasons we didn’t know when we first met. What made our friendship great was the depth of connection and vulnerability we shared. She was a delightful and caring woman, incredibly giggly when she was nervous, an extremely talented florist, and had a beaming smile that lit up the room wherever she went. A proud mum and devoted wife, she was diagnosed last year with stomach cancer at age forty-four.

Over the fifteen months between her diagnosis and departure from this earth, Correna grew in so many ways while her body began to wither away. She developed the bravery of a warrior and levels of strength and courage that no one would voluntarily choose. This was not what her usually shy and introverted self would have discovered otherwise. She journeyed through vulnerable places where she learned so much about herself and shared this with a select few. Correna reconnected with people from her past and made peace with her journey wherever she could. We spent many hours together doing things that most middle-aged women would not usually have to or choose to experience. We simultaneously laughed and cried while I transformed her few remaining knotted strands of previously thick, long hair into a Sinead O’Connor hair-do on my back verandah. I gave her many injections as part of her treatment, helped coordinate tubes and bags attached to her body, held her vomit bags, wiped her tears, and rubbed her back while she writhed in pain, desperately waiting for her painkillers to take effect.

While Correna was still well enough to work in her florist shop but too tired to do her deliveries, I had the joyous task of delivering bouquets of flowers that she masterfully created with love. I feel so blessed to have experienced the delightful surprise that her flowers brought to others as I handed floral arrangements to unsuspecting recipients. I imagine deliveries had been the icing on the cake for her at the end of a hard day’s work in her shop.

A few months before Correna died, I asked her what her biggest regret was. Without hesitation, she said, I wish I hadn’t kept putting things off. It broke my heart to hear this, and I’m sure it shattered hers to admit it. It was too late for her to have a ‘bucket list’ by this stage. Sadly, her remaining time was less about living and more about survival. Every remaining day was focused on spending valuable time with her husband and children.

I had spoken with Correna about my desire to write this book, and she quietly encouraged me to get started whenever I brought up the subject. She knew she had run out of time to achieve any more of her own goals, but she wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to ignore mine. I told her that I wanted to dedicate the book to her. It was a small thing I could do to lift her spirits and keep her memory alive. It wasn’t until after she died that I felt the impact that Correna’s regret was having on me. I began to write and was determined not to keep putting things off.

If listening to your inner voice isn’t enough to motivate you, reflecting on another person’s experience may give you enough motivation to take action. This was the case for me. As I held Correna’s hand in the last moments I spent with her, I promised myself I would live with greater intention, not sweat the small stuff, give thanks for each day, and honour my life for the gift that it is.

I know Correna has been by my side as I wrote each word, giving me a metaphysical kick up the butt whenever I procrastinated. I feel just as blessed as I am sad that she entered my life for the few short years we shared a beautiful friendship.

Thank you, Correna, my friend, for the joy you brought to my life. X

INTRODUCTION

Why this? Why me? Why now?

Many people say they have a book inside them—a story to share. I have had that feeling, too, for a long time. I have co-authored two Amazon best-selling books and loved the experience from start to finish. It gave me an opportunity to share parts of my story with more people, offer some teaching, and enjoy the experience of putting words together for a greater purpose. I have always loved words and the powerful impact they have. I feel the energy of words tangibly in my body as they are being written, said, or read by myself and others and I love that.

Now that I have put pen to paper for this book, I can mentally understand and tangibly feel precisely why it’s described that way. It’s the energy of the words as they come from the depth of my being in wanting to deliver the message I have been called to share. A message that comes as a result of the multitude of experiences I have had throughout my life.Words don’t teach, though. It’s what people do with the words they read or hear that makes the difference. I hope that the words you read within this book reach you in a way that moves you to make a positive difference in your own life and those around you.

When I began sharing with others that I was writing my book, they were very excited for me. When they asked what I was writing about, I responded with one word….. Regret. 99% of replies were a single-word answer, Oh….., followed by a lengthy pause and slow head nodding as I watched them mentally scan back through their life to check in on their own regrets. The next word was often Wow….. with more slow head nodding, followed by silence. It was often up to me to lead the rest of the conversation.

Why on earth would I want to write about regret? Isn’t regret something that most people would rather not talk about? It’s a subject that can stir emotions connected to our past. Emotions that are sometimes painful, attached to people, places, and circumstances that have been pushed to the back of our memories and hidden from others. However, we can’t heal what we keep in the dark, and we can’t learn from what we’re not prepared to look at.

Why wait?

I have often wondered why people wait until near the end of their lives to talk about regret