We may feel unhappy about our past because we have missed several things which could have been accomplished in the past! In reality, we may not be able to fulfill each and everything that we plan but if we don't have proper plans and enthusiasm then we will surely miss things and moments of our lives, that will lead us to feel unhappy about our past!

To live happily at present, you should have done things that you should do in the past. (It does not mean that we should always think of our successful past and be happier but it is nice to have a successful past to move forward) If I elaborate on it further, you must concentrate on doing the appropriate work at the appropriate age. You should learn what you should and what you like to learn (school education, higher education, technical education and so on) when you are a child and youngster. You should do physical activities (sports, yoga, fitness trainings, etc.) when you are young. You should try to enjoy music, read novels, play music instruments, write poems etc. in your spare time. Likewise we need to do things that we want to do in the appropriate period in our lives. We should not let ourselves suffer when we are old, thinking about the missing aspects in our youth. We should always keep in mind that there is time and place for everything. We need to accomplish things at the right time. We have to be good children, need to be lovers and have to be responsible parents to our children at the right time of our life span. If we have accomplished those goals at the right time then we are successful as laymen/women.

I have several examples to emphasize that we should have accomplished most of the things that should have been done during our childhood and young age. I feel sad about me sometimes because I can't play any musical instrument and I can't swim. I really do think that I have missed learning and practicing those two things during my childhood and I do believe that I am not too late to accomplish those as I am still in my early thirties. But slowly but surely, when you are being loaded with responsibilities, you may not have flexibility of doing what you like to do, frequently.

Extracurricular activities

When I was in the university, I engaged in many extracurricular activities related to arts, public speaking and cricket. I was keen on being popular among the campus crowd as an aesthetic engineering undergraduate. Because of that I may have missed a first class honors. [I ended up with a second (lower) class honors] Now I have 60%-40% feelings of guilt and pride; guilt because, I didn't make it towards a 1st class and; pride because, I was a popular/all-round undergraduate in the university. Anyway, I still wonder why I have missed a first class or second upper...But as a professional, now I am happy about the way that I appear in the society and about my past also, but I should have paid more attention towards studies during my university life.

With experience, now I know my strengths and weaknesses. So what do I do now? I make my strengths stronger and weaknesses, lesser...

Different Walks of Life

I was a lover, then became a husband, then became a father...These significant episodes of human life should be completed at the right time! As laymen, we should love, should be lovers; should be married, should be good spouses; should cuddle the kids, should be good parents. If these significant episodes get delayed then the life is not comfortable as we think.

We may buy a car, buy or build a house, enjoy our spare time, chill-out with family and friends….These things make you completed if you do them at right time!

Duties

We must take care of our parents. When they get old and weaker we are the ones who should look after them. Otherwise we may feel the guilt when our parents are not with us anymore. Sometimes due to our busy schedules we tend to forget our parents’ needs. Our busy schedules are not an excuse for not taking care of our parents. We should organize our time tables in a way that we are able to look after our parents. As citizens, we must be loyal to our country. We should not carry any harmful feelings to destroy the sovereignty of this country. We should act timely when the motherland needs us! If we are late then we may feel the guilt!

As professionals we must be loyal to our professions. We must have the dedication and integrity to be successful professionals. If we are late then may feel the guilt! Start thinking about you now! If you think that you are late in some episodes, and then make sure that you are not, anymore! Identify where you were and where you should have been; that will help you to be at the right place at the right time!

Thus, it is obvious that there is time and place for everything. To avoid sorrow at present, you must have a proper past, [proper gives the meaning of well managed!]Here I have shared something which I experienced over the last 15 years and they taught me good lessons! This existence is very short; as laymen we need to get the maximum out of it.

Have proper plans, arrange them, execute them, optimize them, maintain them - then you will become a person with success! We must be people who do things right, at the right time! To end this article, I must recall something that the Lord Buddha has mentioned: I will write it as I have understood it: “Don't be late! People who are late will suffer; People who are not will win!

By Tharindu Weerasinghe [MSc.Eng, BSc.Eng(Hons), C|EH, MIEEE, MCCSL, AMIESL]