We are born, we live, and then…we die. This is the undeniable game of life. There are a fortunate number of us in this world who, between birth and death, don’t just live a life, but are truly alive in their life. And by fortunate, I mean to say that they understand the importance and value of living fully and find the means, however necessary, to capture their dreams. The unfortunate live out their days never doing more than thinking about their deepest desires because they make a simple mistake. A mistake that, grievously, most of humankind makes; they take a conscious risk that they will get down to their dreams and do everything they’ve ever wanted to do in life later because, at that point, they will have the time.
The mistake of man is thinking that we have enough time.
It’s too often that we hear stories about individuals who are diagnosed with cancer; the doctor tells them they only have a few months to live. They feel undoubtedly saddened…death is looking at them in the face now. It’s inevitable now. When it’s so far off, it’s near impossible to grasp the concept of being gone forever, but now, in the blink of an eye, they are told that they will soon be just that…gone. After they come to terms with their looming departure, they set out to do all the things they’ve ever wanted to do. They travel to the places they’ve always wanted to go; they go skydiving for the first time; they climb the tall mountains that they’ve always wondered about off in the distance; they learn how to surf; they say “I love you” to the people who may not have heard it from them enough times; they hold their mothers just a little tighter for a little longer; they treat strangers better; they give openly and unconditionally to the homeless, and in these last few months of their lives, they live richly. Most will say, with heart, that it was the best time of their lives.
Each and every one of us are faced with the inevitability of death. It will come, and we have the gift of being aware that one day, we will no longer be. Yes, the knowledge that we will one day die is a gift. This knowledge is an incredible gift because this is what gives our days meaning. This knowledge is what should put life in us and get us to live our dreams, to say “I love you” more, and to be happier. However, often times, people will only actively change their lives when they are faced directly with death. People will eat healthier after a near fatal heart attack; they will show their love more after someone in the family has faced a near fatal incident. We have the gift of time, but we don’t have much of it. Spend that time expressing yourself with the knowledge that one day, you never will have the ability to do so again.
What if you were told you would die in a couple months time? What would you do? Who in your life would you visit first? You don’t have to wait for an unfortunate and shocking announcement that death will soon arrive to decide to live out your dreams and begin to exist fully.
Time is fleeting and, therefore, time is precious.
Travis Barton
Life Coach
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