It’s time to change the focus of your life.
That is the point from which we all usually live our life: i.e. the problems, the goals, the struggles, the achievements, the insecurities, the vanity, the doubt, the fears, and the constant need to compare.
The constant need to tear down in order to raise ourselves up.
The shit that we carry on with day in day out.
None of it matters.
It’s time to switch it around and start living life from the point of your death.
What will count when that final breath arrives?
What memories will race through your mind as you approach the end of your life?
How will those memories send you off into the next one? With a peaceful smile of contentment? Or a grimace of angst and unhappiness with the knowing that you fucked it all up?
Something that was indeed quite simple.
There are ONLY two things that will count when it’s all over.
- Did I play full out and live my BEST life?
- Was I kind to others?
This is it.
If you can answer yes to both of these then you will leave knowing that you left an indelible footprint created to forever change the lives of others as they continue on their journey.
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see ~ Mark Twain
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.
Mostly, as I see yet another Facebook update or post written about how someone else is annoying because they choose to do things a certain way.
Some people are known for being grumpy and rude, self-serving, judgemental and condescending to others. I couldn’t stop thinking about it today as I wondered around the Sydney Aquarium staring at sharks.
Why? Why would you want to be like this? Why would you want to spend your days being grumpy and mean and proud about it?
Why would you want to make other people feel small? People, who are just trying to follow one of the only thing that matters on their death beds – living their best life.
Why play negative, hurtful and small?
I realized it’s because they haven’t figured it out. It’s because most of us haven’t?
We walk around in a haze about death refusing to accept that it will one day be our reality.
Instead, we should be paying attention to what death is when it arrives.
I guarantee if you spend your days being an arsehole and judgemental – just as an effort to make yourself feel good – when it comes your time to leave, you will leave with regret.
Death is a moment of truth. It’s when you discover who you really chose to be here on Earth.
Death speaks it loud and clear and gives you no time for begging or second chances to GET IT RIGHT.
So from now on every time you decide that through fear or insecurity you are NOT going to follow your dreams, know you will regret that when it is time to go and you won’t be able to fix it.
Don’t waste any more time. You don’t know when death will arrive.
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is it you really want to do with your life? Go and do it now. It’s never too early or late, the right time is now.
Know that every time you are grumpy, judgemental, small, or mean instead of kind; when it comes time to go, you will intake that last breath so sharply as you realize the truth.
You got it all wrong. All of it. And you will NEVER ever get the chance to make it better.
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How are you making your life count? Who are you choosing to be?
You’re so right. Kindness costs nothing and ultimately it’s what makes us happy. What else do we need?
I like the two that you mentioned. However, I disagree that they are the only ones that matter when you die.
The thing that comes to my mind does fit into that first question – did I live my best life. However, I think that question is too generic and not specific enough. For some people, this will mean “did I work hard enough” or “did I please enough people” or “was I successful”.
The old adage about people on their death bed always comes to mind. No one ever dies and says they wish they had worked more. So what is the real question for me?
Did the people in my life that are closest to me know that I loved them?
To me, that is the only one that really matters. Doing a great job, giving the best effort, being successful, or however else you define it doesn’t matter. We are all going to die wanting to be loved and wanting to make sure the ones we loved knew it. I don’t even care about the being kind to others (although I don’t think it’s bad) is as important as loving the ones closest to us.
Maybe I am too specific in my thinking but in the end, it’s the people in our lives that matter more than anything. Did we live our lives in a way that show our family and friends we care?
Thanks Jeremy for coming back and releaving a comment after our blog meltdown!!
I think I have left the first one general because I believe it is up to each person to define who living their best life looks. So you are right that it could mean multiple things, that’s why I couldn’t really leave a specific thing as it wouldn’t fit everyone.
Each person has to sit and think about what is that purposeful life for them and then live it.
I think showing love and kindness to our family is of course number one, but I do believe that if you aren’t kind to others and go about your life being a jack ass then you really will regret that when it comes time to go.
When I talk about being kind to others I really mean simple things like smiling, wishing the best for them and just generally being nice. I really think it’s very simple and easy, yet so many people choose to just be mean and horrible. I don’t think you can honestly look in the mirror and be happy if you do act in this way. In fact, I think people do act in this way because they are unhappy.
I love, love, love this post.
Have you read the book ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying’? It’s really incredible and changed the way I view my life. I had already made the decision to get out of a dead relationship and give up a career that wasn’t fulfilling me but I was still bitter about my life. Reading what people go through spiritually when they’re on their deathbed made me not want to wait till I was dying to really live and be happy. All we have is this present moment and if we live without bringing up the past or worrying about the future there is no way we’ll regret the way we lived our lives.
I have not read the book, but I read what the five regrets were just the other day! IT’s a shame that we aren’t taught these more when we are younger so we understand that we have to focus on what is important in our lives and make the most of it.