Death as a Motivation

“What would you have done differently if you had to start over?”

This is a question I often ask to people who are ahead of me in life.

Their responses vary in form but stay consistent in theme. That is that they wished they used their time better.

They wished that they got into the stock market earlier, spent more time with their family, and focused on activities that brought them life.

What if by the time we got to the end our lives, we had a different answer to that question?

With the average life expectancy being 75 years that means that we have on average 900 months on this earth. To break it down even further that equals to ~4,000 weeks.

If you are 20 years old you have already spent 1,000 of your 4,000 weeks. If you are 50 years old you have ~ 1,400 weeks remaining.

The time on the clock determines how you play the game.

Let each thing you would do, say, or intend, be like that of a dying person.” —Marcus Aurelius

We know the stories of the unfortunate individuals who are given 6 months to live. The sobering reality sets in as their finish line is revealed. Instead of buckling under the emotional weight of their time coming to an end. They embrace it. They start really living.

With their only regret being that they really started living too late.

What if death did not scare us but instead motivated us?

“It is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live.” —Marcus Aurelius

The Stoic author, Ryan Holiday, ask this question in the regards to the fear of death: “is it because there is so much you have yet to do or because you are enjoying your life so much you are afraid to see it end?” 

I want to be a person who can truthfully answer this question with the latter.

By respecting and embracing our finite lives we can turn our fear of death into motivation for our dreams.

As weird as it sounds, I challenge you this week to meditate on death. Think about the impact it would have on others around you. Think about the things that you wished you would have done.

Use those thoughts to help build the life you truly want to be living.

Do not wait until it is too late to really start living. Let’s learn from the people ahead of us. Let’s get to end of our lives with a different answer than those that have gone before us.

Lets really start living.

Go out and make difference.