YOUNG people need to take more risks, enjoy life and don’t have regrets according to over 50s in a new survey.
Almost two thirds of the 2,000 over 50s surveyed life insurance company FiftyLife said that missed opportunities and not taking risks lead to regrets over not doing and risking failure.
The survey group revealed that this was advice they wanted to impart to younger generations at a time when millennials prioritise seeing the world than setting down roots.
Over a third of the over 50s surveyed wished they’d travelled more extensively, while a quarter say they wish they’d challenged themselves and taken more chances – and a similar number regret not pursuing a different career.
A further quarter of those questioned wish they’d ended a bad relationship sooner while, poignantly, more than one in five (23%) say they wished they’d told their parents they loved them while they still had time.
In terms of advice for those at the start of life’s journey, raising happy, healthy children was named as the best thing to achieve in life, cited as the number one aspiration by two thirds of participants, followed by finding a life partner (58%).
Money, careers and material things came a distant second to relationships, family and looking after your health.
Only one in 10 surveyed thought building a successful career was one of the greatest goals to aim for, while just three in ten felt money could bring happiness.
Some of the advice given to the younger generation was solid practical advice.
The top piece of advice respondents would give their 21-year-old self would be to start saving now for retirement.
A third of those aged over 50 wish they’d saved more for retirement and made better decisions with money.
Over a third of the over 50s surveyed wished they’d travelled more extensively, while a quarter say they wish they’d challenged themselves and taken more chances – and a similar number regret not pursuing a different career.
In a nod to the family focus of many people’s responses, over a third of respondents said they were glad they’d sacrificed treats in order to spend more on their family.
Matthew Gledhill, Managing Director of over 50s life insurance challenger brand FiftyLife, said: “The clear message from people in their 50s and beyond to the younger generation is to get out and seize life with both hands, taking the opportunities that arise and pursuing your dreams, even if that means making some brave choices. That said, it’s heartening to see that family is still at the heart of most people’s priorities.
FiftyLife also asked people who had found success in later life by launching their own popular blogs to share their experiences and advice for reaching goals.
Ceri Wheeldon, who runs the successful over 50 women’s lifestyle blog Fab After Fifty, doesn’t regret things she’s done, but uses them instead as opportunities to learn: “All we can do is build on past experiences and do things in a different way in the future.
“It is never too late to live the life you want and be the person you are meant to be. I married the wrong person but learnt a lot about myself in the process – and made lifelong friends during that period that I would hate to not have in my life.”