“He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a living man.”
– Seneca
I think about death…a lot.
I consciously embrace it. (It’s kind of dark and macabre, I know.)
Obviously, this topic is going to make some people uncomfortable, but really, there’s no reason for that. Reminding myself that Death hovers over my shoulders waiting for my number to be called allows me to remember that my time here is limited. And because it’s limited, it’s precious.
Thinking about Death is a good thing.
It reminds me that I’ll never have enough time. So whenever I say “I’ll do that tomorrow” or “I have time for that” – I really don’t.
You should embrace your death as well. Now, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Charles DuCann puts it best in his book, Teach Yourself to Live, when he compares it to taking a cold shower:
“At first it may shock. But in a while it is exhilarating. You know where you are… you are no longer befogged and bewildered by a false and misleading illusion about yourself and life… like most people.”
Ready for that cold shower?
Your time will come to an end – it’s inevitable. (sorry if that’s a surprise to you.)
Now how much time you or I have left, I don’t know. Honestly, when and how it ends is irrelevant. It doesn’t really matter when and how one dies, because when it occurs, that’s it. It’s over and done with.
I don’t know why you’re here or if there’s even a WHY in the first place. I just know that you and me – we’re alive. And because we’re alive, we have things to we need to take care of. We have to make the best of the time we have left – to have a sense of urgency.
So with the time you do have, you need to figure out your purpose here and fulfill that destiny. Because when you die, your life’s sealed forever in the history of time. Your contributions, deeds, victories, successes, creations become immortalized.
It’s this effect on the world which is so important. It’s why you can’t put off your dreams and your goals any longer.
What will you leave behind when it’s all said and done?
The ticking of the clock fuels me to be my best self. And it’s not an easy task. It’s actually pretty hard and requires a jackload of work. The responsibility to be who I want to be rests solely upon my shoulders.
Obviously, I’m not perfect and I’ve made and will continue to make mistakes along the way. But I’ll continue to try – to strive towards excellence, towards my best self. Because this world needs this from me, and perhaps more importantly, I deserve this from me.
And the world needs this from you as well.
The world needs you at your best self – for you to strive towards your greatness, so you too can contribute to this world in some way – your own unique way.
Take a second and think of someone you love…
Imagine this person at their happiest. Imagine them free of pain, free of worry, free of suffering. Imagine them full of hope, of love, of contentment.
Take a second and imagine this…how does this make you feel?
Happy?
Peaceful?
Whatever it is you’re feeling right now, it’s coming from one place – from your heart.
With this life, your mission should be taking this feeling and sharing it with the world. That’s your gift. That’s your contribution…your legacy.
Start today.
It doesn’t have to be some big thing. It doesn’t matter what it is. You could be a doctor or a mother – whoever you are, you have a gift to share with those around you. Make the lives of those who interact with you extraordinary.
Use your gifts to remind others to live. To enjoy the life that they have. Because I believe the reason we’re so afraid to die is because we’re so afraid to live.
By choosing to fight and push away Death, we deny ourselves of all of the wonderful experiences life has to offer.
It’s such a tragedy that we’re conditioned to be timid rather than fearless. That we’re taught to steer clear of risk and danger. To make the safe choice.
But what is life but choices?
We Are The Authors Of Our Own Stories
We get to write how the story goes, not just imagine how the story should be.
If you want to make this one life count, then you have to be willing to live it and experience it – imperfections and all. I know it’s scary because by letting in the extraordinary, you’re leaving room for failure and pain. And this isn’t worth it to some. But they’re better than dying with regret.
There’s nothing worse than regret. And I guarantee that if you choose to live an extraordinary life, you won’t have any because you’ll have taken control of your happiness, your path, your purpose, your self, your life. responsible for your happiness, your strength, your meaning and purpose, your peace, your self, your life.
You can have all of those things – it just requires you to make the choice. And when you fully embrace and come to terms with your fate, you’ll no longer be held back in a “death prison” you keep yourself in. In a way, you’ll be free of death – at least the fear of it.
What do you have to lose? Your life? You’re going to lose it anyways, so you may as well embrace your responsibility and freedom to live. And as you do that, give others the confidence and courage to do the same. Because like you and I they’ll die one day as well.
I’m going to die someday, so with my dying wish, I ask you to please live your life to the fullest.
Thanks for reading
If you’re interested in embracing life, start by sharing this with others so they know why you’re all of a sudden thinking about death so much.