1. I wish I hadn't taken the job for the money.
Research proves that compensation is a "hygiene" factor, not a true motivator. What was surprising, though, were the feelings of helplessness these individuals were facing. Lamented one investment banker, "I dream of quitting every day, but I have too many commitments." Another consultant said, "I'd love to leave the stress behind, but I don't think I'd be good at anything else." Whoever called them golden handcuffs wasn't joking。
1. 我希望自己不只是为赚钱而工作。
研究表明，金钱补偿是一种保健因素，但不是工作真正的动力来源。而更让人惊讶的是人们面对金钱时所感受到的无助感。一位投资银行家惋惜道：我每天做梦都想退出，但有太多事需要完成。“另外一位顾问说：“我想把这些压力抛在脑后，但我不知道自己还擅长什么。”人们把为钱工作称作”金手铐“，这看来并不是笑谈。
2. I wish I had quit earlier.
Almost uniformly, those who had actually quit their jobs to pursue their passions wished they had done so earlier. Said one sales executive, "Those years could have been spent working on problems that mattered to me. You can't ever get those years back."
2. 我希望自己能够尽早退出。
那些已经辞职追寻激情的人几乎异口同声地表示，希望自己能更早一点退出。一位销售执行官说：“这些年我本来可以处理自己的问题。可是逝去的时光再也回不来了。”
3. I wish I had the confidence to start my own business。
As their personal finances shored up, professionals yearned for more control over their lives. To become an owner, not an employee in someone else's company. A recent study found that 70% of workers wished their current job would help them with starting a business in the future, yet only 15% said they had what it takes to actually venture out on their own. Even Fortune 500 CEOs dream of entrepreneurial freedom. Admitted one: "My biggest regret is that I'm a 'wantrepreneur.' I never got to prove myself by starting something from scratch."
3. 我希望曾有创业的自信。
随着个人资产的增加，职场人士迫切希望能更多地掌控自己的生活。他们想自己当老板，而不是给别人打工。最近研究表明70%的员工希望现在的工作可以帮助他们将来自己创业，但是只有15%表示已经准备好了开公司所需的东西。财富500强的CEO们甚至也希望有创业的自由。其中有一位承认：“我最大的遗憾是自己是名‘空想企业家’，从来没有通过白手起家来证明自己。”
4. I wish I had used my time at school more productively。
Despite all the controversy currently surrounding student loans, roughly 86% of students still view college as a worthwhile investment. A biology researcher recounted her college experience as being "in a ridiculous hurry to complete what in hindsight were the best ." After starting a family and signing up for a mortgage, many were unable to carve out the space to return to school for advanced study to reset their careers。
4. 我希望在大学的时候能更有效地利用时间。
尽管现在充斥着引人争议的学生贷款，大约有86%的学生依旧把上大学看做一次值得的投资。一位生物研究学者把她的大学经历描述成：“可笑的匆忙做完那些如今觉得非常有用的事。”在组成家庭、签下贷款后，很多人都不能再分出时间回到学校进修来重新选择职业了。
5. I wish I had acted on my career hunches.
In 2005, an investment banker was asked to lead a small team in rapidly growing Latin America. Sensing that the move might be an upward step, he still declined. Crushingly, the individual brave enough to accept the offer was promoted shortly to division head, then to CEO. Recent theories of psychology articulate the importance of identifying these potentially rewarding moments of change, and jumping on these opportunities to non-linearly advance your professional life。
5. 我希望曾经按照自己的职场预期去行动过。
2005年时，一位投资银行家被要求带领一个团队到飞速发展的拉丁美洲去。他意识到这可能是升迁的机会，但还是婉拒了。让他懊悔不已的是，有勇气接受这项工作的人很快升到了部门总管，然后升到了首席执行官。最近关于心理学的研究清楚地表明，有时候意识到这些潜在的有回报的改变的重要性，抓住机会，你的职业生涯会比按部就班要来得顺利很多。