Body & Soul
The death of a friend or a loved one is tremendously difficult. Everyone deals with it in a different way but no one is immune to the pain caused by it.
To ease the pain there are many lessons that death can teach us about living. Here are some of death’s greatest lessons.
Friends and family remember the good times
Despite the bickering and fights we all have from time to time with our friends and family, in the end most people forget about those memories and focus on the good times.
And even if the deceased one’s life was often filled with poverty, pain, and adversity, all who loved s/he will reflect on the times of joy and laughing.
This teaches us that while we all must endure adversity and struggle, in the end those obstacles disappear and what are the most vibrant memories were the good times.
So make more good times and stop worrying that rough patches in the road of life will last forever, because they won’t.
What really matters
Death shows us that what really matters is what you did with your life; how you affected others, how you acted, and the memories you made and left with others. Not how much money you made and how much you owned.
Sure, some people will be concerned with their inheritance, but what’s more powerful and longer lasting is the inheritance the world receives from you when you live and die.
“It is not length of life, but depth of life.”
Death can strike at any time. We aren’t guaranteed a specific amount of time to live. Death is like this because it wants us to focus on the depth of our lives, not how long we have.
“It is not length of life, but depth of life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Open post:
What has death taught you? What does it make you think about? Please extend this post and share the lessons you’ve learned from losing loved ones and people you admire in the comments below.
Criticism, lack of money, lack of “know-how,” and the onset of “reality” after high school and college are all often the most common excuses people give for leaving their dreams to be unfulfilled.
Some let naysayers and nondoers tell them to “get real” or call their dreams and desire to pursue them “crazy” and “stupid.”
Others make up a boundary between them and their dreams because they think they don’t have enough money or knowledge.
And then most fall victim to the predetermined destiny that society establishes for all of us. That we need to get a degree, get a job, find a husband or wife, “settle down” and to basically give up, and be happy doing something we may despise.
Letting go of dreams may be a little difficult at first but also relieving. You don’t have to put yourself out there anymore, you don’t have to listen to the naysayers, no risking it, and no more hard work. It might seem like Easy Street.
Settling down may be nice for a few years or even a few decades for some. But after awhile something happens…
No matter how far you bury your unfulfilled dreams in the ground, no matter how much dirt you throw on top of them, they rise from the dead and claw their way above ground like zombies.
By the time they reach the surface, they’re full of vengeance and thirsty, thirsty for blood.
They’re after you. They want you and they need you.
They’re going to haunt you to the end.
Every year the ball drops on New Year’s Eve your unfulfilled dreams come flooding back to your memory.
When you lose a loved one, you think of how short life is and your dreams come back hoping for you to achieve them.
The days when you don’t feel like getting out of bed to go to work, your dreams come crawling back, carrying the “what if’s?” and the “shouldas, wouldas, and couldas.”
The longer you wait, the louder and more vicious your unfulfilled dreams will become. They eat away at your mind, your soul, and your heart. They stalk you and are there at every turn in life asking you “what if?” and force you to ponder about what could have been, what you should have done, and what you could do if you could go back in time.
Your unfulfilled dreams won’t be unforgiving, not even when you’re on your death bed. They’re not giving up on you for giving up on them. They’re getting their revenge.
To prevent yourself from becoming haunted by your unfulfilled dreams, you already know what to do. Turn dreams into goals. Don’t wait. Don’t contrive excuses for yourself. Use the words of naysayers against them to prove them wrong. Work hard. And don’t setting for anything less than your best.
It may seem a little morbid to think about right now, but what do you want your headstone to say about you?
If you were to write one sentence that would be your headstone inscription and summed up who you were and what you did with your life; how would it read?
Would it talk about your personality, ambition, generosity, humor, love, creativity, or your goals?
Would it describe who you are? Or would it describe who you want to become?
Take some time to think long and hard about this. You may be surprised to find out that this simple sentence may sum up your ultimate purpose and goals in life.
If you already know what you want your headstone to say and you’d like to share it with us, please post in the comment section below.
No matter how many times you put things off and delay your dreams, the big clock keeps ticking and your time continues to run out.
The recent deaths of legendary icons Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson have forced us to think about how short our lives are and that we never know when our last day will be.
The clock keeps ticking and won’t wait for us and we can’t wait either.
Don’t wait until you have more money.
Don’t wait for the “perfect” time.
Don’t wait until you’re older.
Don’t wait for the economy to get better.
Don’t wait for retirement.
Don’t wait for someone to help you.
Don’t wait until next month, next week, or until tomorrow. Don’t wait! You’ve got to go after what you need and want NOW!
“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” – W. M. Lewis
One of the biggest goal killers and opportunity killers are your own inhibitions.
Your concerns about what other people might think, your worries about failure or embarrassment, and your doubts are paralyzing you.
They’re keeping you trapped in a cocoon of mediocrity.
You won’t be able to escape until well; you don’t give a damn about what other people will think, of failure, or of some other repercussion.
To help you break out of your cocoon, here are 5 ways to crush your inhibitions.
1. Ask yourself: What’s the worst that could happen?
When your inhibitions are getting out of control and forcing your mind to create all these minute concerns that add up and make you more and more nervous, you’ve got to stop for a second. Think and then focus on what could possibly be the worst thing to happen. More often than not, it won’t actually be a big deal.
For example; a lot of people are reluctant to ask successful individuals questions or for help because they fear what the person will say. And when it comes down to it, the worst they can say is “no.” Getting a “no” is often frustrating, but it’s not the end of the world.
2. Ask yourself: What’s the best that could happen?
Now that you’ve thought about the negatives, it’s time to focus more on the positives.
To motivate yourself beyond your inhibitions the best question you should consistently ask yourself is; “What’s the best that could happen?”
It could be an advancement in your career. You could make a new friend. And your life can change in a great way.
But no matter what the benefits are, pushing pass your inhibitions is almost always going to be more powerful than the negative circumstances that could arise.
3. Assess your “audience”
Embarrassment and wondering what other people might think is probably the biggest inhibitor for most people. It was for me, and unfortunately sometimes I still find myself fighting with it as it tries to hold me back. What has helped me a lot though is assessing my “audience” or the critics, friends and family, and strangers that may see what I’m doing or saying.
I usual assess them by asking these few questions:
- Where is their cynicism and negativity coming from?
- Are they jealous?
- Do they have their own insecurities?
- Will I ever see these people again?
4. Know you created your inhibitions
Throughout life, people criticized you and you’ve felt the taste of failure, but you’ve let those experiences fester in your mind and they’ve infected you with inhibition.
Knowing that you’re the one who created them will help you get over YOUR inhibitions.
5. Don’t give a damn
We have to stop caring so much about what other people think especially those with mediocre mindsets.
We have one shot at this thing we call “life” and worrying about what others might think and say is a waste of time. It keeps us from being ourselves and from living.
So in the end, give a damn about your life and stop giving a damn about what people may think and say of your aspirations.
