Thereās a big difference between empty fatigue and gratifying exhaustion. Life is too short not to focus more on what matters most.
Before you know it you will be asking, āHow did it get so late so soon?ā Perhaps you can already relate. So take time to reflect. Take time to realize what you want and need in the days and weeks ahead. Take time to take calculated risks. Take time to love, laugh, cry, learn, and forgive. Life is so much shorter than it often seems.
In our line of work we speak with people on a weekly basis who have been forced to āwake upā to lifeās fleeting nature. Consider these two excerpts from peopleās stories that we recently received in our email inbox (both are being shared with permission):
- āEarlier today, in whatās likely to be one of our final conversations, she told me her only regret was that she didnāt appreciate every year with the same passion and purpose that she has had in the last two years after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. āIāve accomplished so much recently,ā she said. āIf I had only known, I would have started sooner.āā
- āThis afternoon I was looking through an old Windows laptop that my dad used ten years ago before he died in a car accident. The laptop has been sitting around collecting dust at my momās house ever since. In a folder named āVideo Projectā oddly placed at the root of the C: drive, I found a video file my dad made about a month before he died that my mom and I had never seen before. In the 15-minute video my dad talks about my mom and me, how grateful he is to be a part of our lives, and that he has no regrets at all about anything in his life ā that he is totally at peace. He ended by saying, āI know you two might miss me someday since Iām the oldest, but please smile for me, because Iāve lived wellā¦āā
These peopleās stories are both inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. And yet, they are incredibly common stories. Wake-up calls to life being short eventually ring true in every one of our lives, sometimes much sooner than we had expected. Which is precisely why Marc and I try to remind people to stop waiting. Now is the time to start learning, growing, and moving forward ā so at the very least, you can rest free of regrets someday like the dad in the second story.
Remember, too many people wait all day for 5pm, all week for Friday, all year for the holidays, all their lives for happinessā¦ And YOU donāt have to be one of them! Donāt wait until your life is almost over to realize how good it has been, or how much potential you had literally every step of the way. Itās time to wake up and make the most of whatās in front of you.
Here are ten quick wake-up calls you need to receive today, before itās too late:
1. This moment is your real life.
Your real life is not between the moments of your birth and death. Your real life is between now and your next breath. The present ā the here and now ā is all the life you ever truly get. So practice living each moment in full, in kindness and peace, without fear or regret. And just do the best you can with what you have in this moment, because thatās all you can ever expect of anyone, including yourself. (Read āThe Power of Nowā.)
2. A lifetime isnāt very long.
Eighty years isnāt guaranteed. Many people get far less. Again, today is your life and youāve got to fight for it! Fight for whatās right. Fight for what you believe in. Fight for whatās important to you. Fight for the people you love, and never forget to tell them how much they mean to you. Realize that right now youāre lucky because you still have a chance. So stop for a moment and think. Whatever you still need to do, start doing it today ā take the next step. There are only so many tomorrows.
3. The sacrifices you make today will pay dividends in the future.
When it comes to working hard to achieve a dream ā earning a degree, building a business, or any other personal achievement that takes time and commitment ā one thing you have to ask yourself is: āAm I willing to live a few years of my life like many people wonāt, so I can spend the better part of my life like many people canāt?ā Let that sink in. May your dreams be bigger than your fears. May your actions speak louder than words. May your life preach louder than your lipsā¦ and may success be your noise in the end.
4. When you procrastinate you become a victim to yesterday.
Yes, procrastination holds you back. But when you are proactive and productive, itās as if yesterday is a kind friend that helps take a load off your back. So do something right now that your future self will thank you for. Trust me, tomorrow youāll be happy you started today. (Note: Marc and I discuss this in more detail in the Success chapter of ā1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differentlyā.)
5. Failures are often good lessons.
Good things come to those who still hope even though theyāve been disappointed, to those who still believe even though theyāve tasted failure, to those who still love even though theyāve been hurt. So give yourself grace, and grow from the situations that didnāt work out. Remind yourself that you can disappoint people and still be good enough. You can fail and still be smart, capable and talented. You can let people down and still be worthwhile and deserving of love and admiration. We all make mistakes sometimes. Take a deep breath. You are allowed to be human, and learn the way on the way.
6. YOU are your most valuable relationship.
Sometimes we try to show the world we are flawless in hopes that we will be liked and accepted by everyone, but we canāt please everyone and we shouldnāt try. The beauty of us lies in our vulnerability, our complex emotions, and our authentic imperfections. When we embrace who we are and decide to be authentic, instead of who we think others want us to be, we open ourselves up to real relationships, real opportunities, and real success. So nurture the relationship you have with yourself today. You are GOOD enough, SMART enough, FINE enough, and STRONG enough. You donāt need other people to validate you; you are already VALUABLE.
7. A personās actions speak the truth.
Youāre going to come across people in your life who say all the right words at all the right times, but in the end itās their actions you should judge them by. So pay attention to what people do consistently. Their daily actions will tell you almost everything you need to know. And remember that today is too important to waste. Take good care of your personal boundaries and what you allow yourself to absorb from others. Count your blessings, value the people who truly matter ā the ones whose actions match their words ā and move on from the drama with your head held high.
8. Small acts of kindness can make the world a better place.
Just keep reminding yourself that everyone you see around you is a human being who dreams of something, fears something, loves someone, and has lost someone. Andā¦ just keep being kind. Kindness is the only investment that never fails in the long run. And wherever there is a human being, thereās an opportunity for kindness. Learn to give, even if itās just a smile, not because you have too much, but because you understand there are so many others who feel like they have nothing at all.
9. Behind every beautiful life there has been some kind of worthwhile struggle.
You trip and you fall, you make mistakes and you fail, but you stand strong through it all ā you live and you learn. Youāre human, not perfect. You been wounded, not defeated. Think of what a priceless gift it is to grow through these experiences ā to breathe, to think, to struggle, and to overcome challenges in the pursuit of the things you love. Yes, sometimes you will encounter heartache along the way, but thatās a small price to pay for immeasurable moments of love and joy. Which is why you must keep stepping forward even when it hurts, because you know the inner strength that has carried you this far can carry you the rest of the way.
10. Time and experience heals pain, and it canāt be rushed.
Recently, when Marc and I asked his 80-year-old dad about overcoming pain, this is how he explained it to us: Look at the circles below. The black circles represent our relative life experiences. Mine is larger because I am older and have experienced more in my lifetime. The smaller red circles represent a negative event in our lives. Assume we both experienced the same exact event, whatever the nature. Notice that the negative event circles are the same size for each of us; but also notice what percentage of the area they occupy in each of the black circles. Your negative event seems much larger to you because it is a greater percentage of your total life experiences. I am not diminishing the importance of this event; I simply have a different perspective on it. What you need to understand is that an overwhelmingly painful event in your life right now will one day be part of your much larger past and not nearly as significant as it seems.
Now itās your turnā¦
Yes, itās your turn to make the most of whatās in front of you! So I hope you will have an inspired day today, that you will dream boldly and dangerously, that you will make some progress that didnāt exist before you took action, that you will love and be loved in return, and that you will find the strength to accept and grow from the troubles you canāt change. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and wisdom in this world), that you will, when you must, be wise with your decisions, and that you will always be extra kind to yourself and others.
And please leave Marc and me a comment below and let us know what you think of this post. Your feedback is important to us.Ā š
(Finally, if you havenāt done so already, be sure to sign-up for our free newsletter to receive new articles like this in your inbox each week.)
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