How To Get The Most Out Of Your Life
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"Live like you'll die tomorrow. Dream like you'll live forever."
This is a quote on the picture of actor James Dean on my wall behind me in this thumbnail. The quote is attributed to him but I don't think he was the first to say this and it's quite possible he never said it.
Quotes are often not fact checked like so many bits of information these days.
But the sentiment behind the quote is inspiring nonetheless. Even just a few weeks ago a friend of mine texted the exact quote to me.
However, it's not realistic nor even applicable.
We can't live as if we will die tomorrow. We wouldn't get anything done.
I wouldn't exercise or pay my bills. Instead I would huddle up with family and share my final thoughts and feelings with them every day, all day.
Really sad if you think about it.
Dream as if you'll live forever isn't so bad. Dreaming is good for your imagination and creativity but getting too dreamy and preferring your dreams over reality can create a problem.
I prefer to dream up visions that I plan to turn into reality. I'll write a blog and do a video about that later.
Try this: Live as if you will die someday and you don't know when that day will be so make every moment count as much as you can.
Not only is this the truth, it's also practical and useful.
This creates the urgency and call to action of your life. This brings your mortality right to your face and tells you it's time to take action on the things you want and the life you want to create rather than just thinking about it because you don't know when your time is up.
When I first started selling life insurance I immediately bought myself a policy to protect my family's financial future in case something happened to me. What I did not expect though was how my insurance clients responded when I would bring up life insurance.
Even the ones who had families, young children to protect, couldn't even have a conversation about it. Some would even get angry at me for bringing it up as if I was rude for reminding them of the inevitable (hopefully later rather than sooner).
This made me realize how in denial most people are about death and how much this denial not only holds them back but also could put their families at risk.
Most of us have had brushes with death and when we do we often feel more alive and more grateful for being alive than ever. What's truly important to us comes front and center and all of the trivial things we took too serious and stress about falls away.
The more you accept your mortality the more you will live because you know your time is limited. You won't take time for granted anymore in other words. Life itself becomes more precious.
Some people fear that accepting their mortality will make life seem meaningless because it's temporary, but I've found the exact opposite to be true. I've found more purpose and meaning in my life the more I accept that it's passing every moment and that it will be over at some point. And I find it extraordinarily motivating to get things done.
I've also found that the more people connect with this truth, the more likely they are to do rather than think; to start writing that novel they've been thinking about for years or take that trip to Europe or Africa instead of just talking about it.
When you fully accept this truth you will find it hard to sit still and just let life pass you by.
Whether you accept it or not, we're all going to pass. Use that fact to invigorate you, to motivate you, and to get you to pursue your passions as if you have nothing to lose because at some point you will lose everything. Everyone does.
Accept that you're going to die, and that could be tomorrow or 80 years from now.
Maybe this hasn't been the most uplifting article, but I assure you that though it may seem counterintuitive, the courage to accept death is the courage to really live your life and tap into your potential.
I know I run the risk of upsetting people just by writing about this topic. Let me know your thoughts on living with purpose and meaning by accepting your mortality by responding to this email.
Damon Cart
NLP Coach and Trainer
Santa Cruz, CA
Damon Cart
Author
Damon Cart is considered to be a natural talent by some of the best NLP trainers in the world. His approach to guiding and teaching students brings to their awareness that they've been doing NLP all of their lives without realizing it and he empowers them with skills and resources to thrive and reach their full potential. With the understanding of how Neuro Linguistic Programs create oneβs experience a person can then take charge of those programs and create the experience and the life they want. By taking this approach into his own rigorous, daily NLP practice Damon has been able to rapidly accelerate his progress in learning, coaching clients and teaching workshops.
