“Life isn’t about the breaths we take. It’s about the moments that take our breath away.”
I’ve written a lot of content on this site about living the very best lives we can possibly live. And a big part of doing this is grasping the notion that our days are literally numbered. When we understand that our time is limited on this planet, we can then understand that every single moment, and every single breath counts.
In those couple of years after the transplant, Eva lived life exactly how it should be lived. It made me want to work harder, play harder, and experience more in one day than I have in the past year.
But it also made me feel like a bit of a dick. For a guy who’s life revolves around fitness, and helping people get in great shape, I’ve done very little – if anything – to help those who don’t have the same luxury of having a healthy body like me or you. Not because of laziness, but because they’re facing a disease that has no cure.
My Greatest Fear
When someone asks me how to build muscle, or even lose fat, I always say the first step is to define a clear and emotional reason as to why you want to go through this transformation.
One of my emotional reasons is motivated by my biggest fear: regret.
I don’t want to be lying on my death bed wishing that I had done more. I don’t want to regret that fact that I should have taken better care of myself, and as a result of not having done so I’m leaving my family behind fartoo early.
I don’t want to regret not having lived and experienced enough while I had the opportunity to do so. I don’t want to have to regret not having worked hard enough. Not having given my all in everything I did. Not having loved enough of the people that I should have loved.
Regret scares the shit out of me. It’s one of the few things that I both fear, and pushes me to become a better person. It’s one of the rare cases where I think that fear can actually be a good thing.
Eva lived her life to be one with no regret.
Be LEGENDARY
In a site dominated by building lean muscle mass, losing fat, and improving our performance, we – by we I mean “I” – take our health for granted. We’re focused on building the ideal, but forget to think, “what if our ideal was simply to be alive for another few years?”
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a frightening disease. It attacks the entire body, destroying the lungs and digestive system, filling the lungs with fluid and making every breath a struggle. A child born with CF today has only a 50% chance of reaching his or her 40th birthday. It attacks the lungs, the liver, the heart, and even results in infertility in 97% of men and women with the disease.
There is no cure for CF, but there needs to be.
What does that have to do with me or you?
Think about it like this:
While we’re out running, working out, and enjoying our health, there are thousands of younger people whose bodies are being broken down from within. They’re dying daily – as we all are if you think about it – and there is yet to be a cure for what’s killing them.
Let’s at least do our part to give Cystic Fibrosis an enemy that it can’t defeat.
I’ve had a couple weeks of articles on CHF surrounding the “superhero” theme. I’ve mentioned different skills that we all have, and abilities that we can develop. But being a hero comes from within. It comes from action. It’s much more of a courage thing than a muscle thing.
If you’d like to donate – and I hope you do – click the link below. You’ll be sent to a secure site where you can do your part to eradicate this awful disease.
I know it doesn’t seem like a whole lot. And we feel like 15, 20, or even $500 isn’t enough, so there’s really no point. But there really is. The money goes to the place where it’s needed most: to the researchers.
We have the lofty goal of fundraising $5,000 in 7 days. Anything you want to give is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
