Your Last Day On Earth
Your Last Day On Earth
Have you ever stopped to think about the possibility of not waking up tomorrow?
What would you regret not doing today? I just watch a movie called “About Time” and without boring you on the details the basic message of the movie was to live every day as if it were your last. I know that sounds a bit corny right now but bare with me….
As you read this blog post there is a very real possibility that it could be your last day on earth. People die every day – it’s a fact!
The question is - if it was your last day on earth would you look back on it and wish you did things differently?
Sometimes it’s hard to define exactly what you want your life to look like and how you want to go about it – I find it easier sometimes to start with what you don’t want, which will take you close to what you do want…
What I thought I would do to make sure the lesson I learnt from this movie actually has a lasting impact on me is to write a list of all the things I don’t want to waste my time doing (in other words I don’t want to sit back at the end of my life and regret spending time on these things).
1- I don’t want to waste my time in pointless and petty arguments… I must admit I have a bad habit of always needing to be right – something that over time I have learnt doesn’t always serve me well. So I will choose to walk away when trying to win the argument won’t achieve anything significantly greater than a boost of ego…
2- I don’t want to spend my time being angry at people… 99% percent of the time people are well intentioned and we get angry at them because they didn’t do something the way we had it planned out in our head or the outcome wasn’t quite what you thought it might be. I will choose to judge people on WHY they did what they did as opposed to what they did. Being angry hurts you more than the person you are being angry at…
3- I don’t want to waste my time doing things I am not good at or am not passionate about… The two go hand in hand, if you’re not passionate about it – you won’t be great at it. A saying that has always stuck with me is “You aren’t here for a dress rehearsal” in other words, you get one go at life so make it a good one!
4- I don’t want to waste my time on anything that doesn’t help the world become a better place in some way or another…. If you call me up and try and sell me something I don’t need please don’t think I’m rude when I cut you off and say thanks but no thanks – I have people to help!
5- I don’t want to spend a precious minute feeling sorry for myself… There is no bigger waste of time than feeling sorry for the one person with the power to YOUR very own circumstances – YOU! Instead of wasting your time on feeling sorry for yourself use it to change and become better!
A wise man once said to me - be careful how you spend your money but realise you can always make more tomorrow. Be ruthless with your time because you can never get that back!
I must admit my motives for writing this post are purely selfish – you see by making it public it makes me more accountable to following through. I recommend you do the same! Make a list of how you don’t want to spend your time and then use it to create a list of HOW YOU DO WANT TO SPEND IT and the values you want to be remembered for. Then here comes the exciting part…
GO AND LIVE YOUR LIFE ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU VALUE HIGHEST!
There is no greater gift to those around you than living your life according to your highest values. At the end of the day by doing this you are giving them permission to do the same. Imagine if you empower 100, 50, 10 or even just 1 person to live a greater life… That my friends is a legacy that no one can ever take away and one that will live on well past today – even if it is your last!
Jake
