After interviewing hundreds of septuagenarians about their deepest regrets, I discovered seven universal truths they desperately wish they could whisper to their younger selves—revelations that made me completely reorganize my own life at 40.
I still remember sitting in that sterile hospital waiting room when I was 38, watching the clock tick past midnight. My father had just suffered a heart attack, and as I sat there clutching a cold cup of coffee, I couldn't stop thinking about all the conversations we never had. All the wisdom he never shared because we were both too busy.
That night changed everything for me. It made me realize how much perspective we gain as we age, and how desperately our younger selves could have used that wisdom. Since then, I've made it my mission to talk to older adults about their lives, their regrets, and most importantly, what they wish they could tell their younger selves.
After hundreds of conversations with people in their 70s and beyond, I've noticed certain themes that come up again and again. These aren't just casual observations; these are the deep, soul-stirring truths that only come with seven decades of living.
1. Your health is everything, treat it like the investment it is
"I thought I was invincible in my 20s and 30s," one 74-year-old marathon runner told me. "Now I'm paying for every cigarette, every skipped workout, every fast food meal."
This sentiment echoes through nearly every conversation I have with septuagenarians. They talk about their bodies like old friends they neglected for too long. The knees that could have lasted longer with better care. The hearts that struggle now because of decades of stress and poor diet.
What strikes me most is how they describe health as compound interest. Every healthy choice you make in your 30s pays dividends in your 70s. Every unhealthy habit compounds too, but in reverse. One woman told me she wishes she could go back and tell her younger self that the gym membership she thought was too expensive would have been the best investment she ever made.
When I worked those 70-hour weeks in finance, I lived on takeout and energy drinks. Exercise was something I'd get to "someday." Now, at 40-something, I run trails because I learned this lesson before it was too late. But I wish I'd learned it at 25.
2. Stop waiting for the perfect moment to pursue what matters
Remember that business idea you had? That book you wanted to write? That trip you kept postponing?
People in their 70s remember too. And it haunts them.
A retired teacher I interviewed last month told me she spent 40 years saying she'd paint "when she had more time." Now she has all the time in the world, but her hands shake too much to hold a brush steady. "The perfect moment never comes," she said. "There's always something else that seems more urgent."
This hits close to home for me. I spent 14 years in finance, making excellent money but feeling dead inside. I kept telling myself I'd pursue writing "next year" or "after the next promotion." It took burning out completely at 36 to realize that waiting for the right time was just fear dressed up as practicality.
The 70-somethings I talk to don't regret the chances they took. They regret the ones they didn't.
3. The money you're chasing won't make you as happy as you think
Want to know something fascinating? Not a single person in their 70s has told me they wish they'd worked more overtime.
Instead, they talk about the school plays they missed. The family dinners they skipped for conference calls. The weekends lost to spreadsheets that no one remembers now.
A former CEO shared something that still gives me chills: "I can't remember a single quarterly report from my 40-year career, but I remember every birthday party I missed."
After leaving my six-figure salary to become a writer, I thought I'd regret the financial sacrifice. Instead, I discovered what the 70-somethings already know: beyond meeting your basic needs and having some security, money becomes less and less important. Time becomes everything.
4. Your parents won't be around forever, and neither will their stories
This one stings because it's so universally felt among older adults. They wish they'd asked more questions. Recorded more stories. Spent more Sunday afternoons just listening.
"I know nothing about my mother's childhood," one man confided. "She died when I was 45, and I was too busy with my own life to ask. Now those stories are gone forever."
Since my father's health scare, I've started recording our conversations. Not the big, formal interviews, just our regular talks over coffee. He tells me about growing up in the 1950s, about meeting my mother, about his dreams and disappointments. These recordings have become more valuable to me than any possession I own.
The message from the 70-plus crowd is clear: Your parents are walking history books. Read them while you can.
5. Those friendships you're letting fade? You'll miss them desperately
Making friends in your 70s is hard. Really hard.
Every septuagenarian I've spoken with mentions friendship as one of their biggest regrets. Not that they didn't have friends, but that they let good friendships wither through neglect.
"We all got busy with kids and careers," one woman explained. "We said we'd catch up later. Now half of them are gone, and the other half are strangers."
The research backs this up too. Studies show that social connections become increasingly important for both physical and mental health as we age. Yet by the time we realize this, rebuilding those bridges becomes infinitely harder.
I've watched this happen in my own life. Friends from my finance days disappeared when I changed careers. College friends scattered across the country. It takes real, intentional effort to maintain these connections, but the 70-somethings would tell you it's worth every minute.
6. Your comfort zone is a trap disguised as safety
"I lived the same year 40 times instead of living 40 different years."
That quote from a 72-year-old retiree stopped me in my tracks. He'd worked the same job, lived in the same town, taken the same vacation every year. Now he wonders who he might have become if he'd been braver.
The older adults I talk to consistently express regret about playing it too safe. They stayed in mediocre relationships because starting over seemed too hard. They turned down opportunities because failure seemed too risky. They chose predictable over possible.
When I left finance, everyone thought I was crazy. Giving up that security, that salary, that status. But the 70-somethings get it. They know that the biggest risk is never taking any risks at all.
7. Forgiveness is for you, not them
This might be the most powerful message from the seventh decade of life: holding grudges is like carrying rocks in your pocket. The weight only hurts you.
Nearly everyone I've interviewed mentions someone they wish they'd forgiven sooner. A parent who was imperfect. A friend who betrayed them. A spouse who disappointed them. They spent years, sometimes decades, feeding their anger, only to realize that resentment aged them more than time ever could.
"I wasted 20 years being angry at my brother," one woman told me. "We reconciled when he got sick. Those could have been 20 years of laughter instead of silence."
Final thoughts
Talking to people in their 70s is like getting a preview of your future regrets. But here's the beautiful thing: you still have time to change the story.
Every person I've interviewed has given me the same parting thought: it's not too late. Whether you're 25 or 55, you still have time to prioritize your health, pursue your dreams, treasure your relationships, and let go of what doesn't serve you.
The wisdom of the 70-somethings isn't about perfection. It's about perspective. They've learned what actually matters through the sometimes painful process of discovering what doesn't.
So take it from them, and from someone who's trying to listen before it's too late: that thing you're putting off? That person you've been meaning to call? That dream gathering dust?
The time is now. It always has been.
