Dying Daily
It’s a hard thing to wrap your head around. The fact that with every hour, every minute, and every second we’re getting closer to that moment in time when time ceases to exist – for us at least.
There are moments when I’m completely aware of this, and life is exciting. It’s fleeting and understanding this is a necessity if you’re going to ‘grab it by the balls’ (I know there are better, more politically correct ways to go about saying it, but I think that get’s the point across).
The majority of the time, the majority of us are at the mercy of life. We’re at the mercy of our circumstances and we let them dictate the life we’re going to live, the happiness we have, and even who we’re going to be with. We let circumstances show us what our lives are going to be.
I’m not speaking about this from some ‘holier-than-though’ perspective either; rather, I’m a guy who let’s life push me around too. It’s when I push back and understand that I only get ONE of these things, that I’m at my best. That is when good things happen in my life, and it makes me wonder why I don’t have that mindset all of the time?
It makes no sense to be timid. To let happen, rather than make happen. 99.9% of us let our surroundings and circumstances dictate the kind of life we are going to live. The one’s who make life happen, truly experience what living is all about.
Is it easy to grab life by the cojones?
No. It’s a hell of a lot harder than it is to simply go with the flow.
Is it more fulfilling and rewarding?
For shite’s sakes yes! There’s no competition between the two. Making your life yours takes a lot more work, and a hell of a lot more risk. But YOU ONLY GET ONE LIFE! ONE LIFE! For shit’s sake if I knew I was only going to get one more day with a friend, or one more opportunity to travel, I’d take that opportunity! But with life we let it pass us by. Then, before we know it, it’s gone in the blink of an eye. Ask your grandparents, or parents, how fast life goes.
When you’re young you think you have your whole life ahead of you, so you take your time, relax, and let life come to you. And then there are some who go out and grab it. I’m not saying they’re better people by any means, hell, they could be complete douchebags doing douchebaggy things. But they understand one very simple, and important thing: that with each day, we are getting closer to death.
Once in a while I know we all get this feeling. This rush of the reality that we’re running out of time to live the life we’ve been DYING to start LIVING. We ALL get this feeling, we all understand what it is, and can grasp the theory behind it, and yet we let it slip away.
We return to our routine. To the life where we stay comfortable, where we don’t push ourselves to experience and do new things. Where our lives push us around. We’re their bitch and we don’t even know it.
It’s easy to spend a day or two living life like you’re dying. The struggle comes when you try and do it on a daily basis. A lot of the time it’s a lot harder to put everything you have into everything you’re doing. But that’s what life’s about.
To understand that you’re dying isn’t enough. You have to live like you’re dying.
Finding the balance of urgency and ‘stopping to smell the roses’ is tough. You’re not going to experience all life has to offer if you’re not in the moment, experiencing the good and the bad, enjoying the people who you love, and appreciating what you’ve been given.
You’re also not going to experience all life has to offer if you’re constantly waiting for something to happen. Life doesn’t come on a silver platter, and part of that experience is the grind, it’s putting yourself out there, willing to fail miserably and gloriously for that small chance that you may actually succeed.
We’re not all made to be entrepreneurs, and that’s not the only thing I’m talking about. I’m talking about going up to the girl of your dreams and sparking a conversation even through you’re sweating buckets. I’m talking about having a dream of travelling, then working your ass off for a year to make it happen. It’s about going after what’s most important to YOU – not everyone else.
Living isn’t waiting. Living is doing.
So get out and live. Grab your girl by her arm and give her a smooch. Play with your kids. Be in the moment. Chase your dreams. Fail. Fail like you’ve never failed before. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There’s no excitement in perfect. Excitement exists in conflict, in turmoil, in not knowing whether the next paycheck is coming until the day finally comes when your hard work pays off.
If failure is not an option. Then neither is success.
The past, present and future all exist. Where you come from is a part of who you are, so don’t forget it. Mistakes are there for us to learn from them. The future is there for you to prepare for. Think about your future. Think about what you want and where you want to be. Dream about it and make it happen. The moment is there and gone, don’t let it pass you by. Living isn’t living if you’re constantly stuck in the past, or thinking about the future, you have to be here to actually be here.
Some say you have to live life completely in the moment, forget the past and don’t worry about the future. But fear helps us succeed. Mistakes can be forgiven but not forgotten.
Just know that with every day you’re closer to death.
So why not live big and BE LEGENDARY?
_____________________________
Enjoy this article?
Sign up below and get my “7 Strategies to Gain 7 lbs of LEAN, ATHLETIC Muscle in 21 Days Video Series” FREE + weekly updates that aren’t found on the blog:
