Lately, I have been thinking about death and how it is the ultimate human equalizer. I know that I am going end up as dust one day. It is inevitable, it is a guarantee. I have been given a short lease on life, really it’s an irrelevant length of time in the grand scheme of things. Just think on average we are only here for 75 years, while this Earth has existed for billions of years.
Maybe I will be end up sitting on a mantel or buried 6 feet underground. Either way, I don’t really care because to me it is all the same, when I am gone... I am gone…
Death comes knocking on all of our front doors. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, if you are popular or hated, if you are ready to die or not, if you are famous or a nobody. Death is the greatest human equalizer of them all…
When it is over for me, this Earth will continue to spin. Business will continue. Life will go on without me.
Very few people will even know or care that I am gone. I won’t even care since death by definition means I no longer exist.
But here’s what I care about… I care so deeply, about how I live my life while I am alive. I want to live my life to the fullest and actually mean it. I don’t want a single ounce of my human potential or physical energy to go wasted. I want to live my life where I am kind and loving to others. I want to live a life that was respectful to time meaning I do not want time to be wasted. I want to live a life where I spent most of my days doing things I loved to do. I want to live a life where I see the beauty and magic that exists in the world.
I want to live a life of significance.
I don’t want a single tear of sadness to be shed when I am gone, because my family and friends will know that I lived a life that should be celebrated.
So how do I defend against living a life that is wasted? Simple, I continuously ask myself questions and answer them in my journal. I am constantly checking in on myself. The tricky part is that for me there is no end goal that I am here to achieve. It’s not like setting a target to make X amount of money. I am setting a target of living a life of significance.
What does that mean? That’s the beauty of it, it means that every moment I live should be one that propels me forward. Obviously, it doesn’t happen like that all the time, but being self-aware of moving backwards and catching yourself before you slide to far is the goal.
Here are some questions I have asked myself in my journal to dive deep into my soul. I hope they are of help to you.
· What highlights would I see flash before my eyes the moment before death?
· How would I feel I was to die today? Happy? Sad? Content? Disappointed? Satisfied?
· What would my final goodbye message be to the world? To my family and friends?
· What three lessons would I want to leave my kids?
· What type of legacy did I leave behind?
· How will others remember me?
· Right before death, will I be smiling? Or crying?
· What would my last words be? Or would I choose to leave the world in complete silence?
· Did I leave this earth with any loose ends? Have I made your peace with the people that needed it?
· Am I able to forgive myself for all the mistakes I have made during my life?
· What is the one thing I can tell yourself that you accomplished to let me know that I lived a life worth living?
· Who would be there to surround me during my last hours?
· What would my Eulogy say?
· What would my obituary say?
· How long will I be remember for? And for what will I be remembered?
There is no clearer view of your life then seeing it through the eyes of the grim reaper. Use the notion of death to your advantage and reap the benefits now.
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