"Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life."
Death is a scary thing. It poses so many unanswered questions. Why is this happening to me? Why is life so unfair? Where will I go after I die? None of us have the answers to these questions. The only thing we know for certain is that all of our days will come. However, when that day is, that’s another story. Each day could be our last. As morbid and depressing as that may seem, it can also be motivating. Why wait to do tomorrow what you can do today? It’s never too late to make a change, make an amend or turn a dream into reality. Is there anything in your life you would like to do or achieve but you have been putting off? Is there anything you need to say to someone and you would regret if you didn’t? It seems that we all have a bucket list. Things we would like to do or know we need to do in the future. However, the fear of change and our needs for survival may get in the way. Most of us get so caught up in our daily routines, habits, and responsibilities that we forget to live or forget about the things that are important besides making ends meet. When we are in a survival mindset, we can’t think outside the box. All we see is the fear of what would happen if we don’t show up in the same exact way we always have and how it’s going to affect our lives short or long term. We’re scared that when we change, we’ll lose our assets or relationships and we’ll put ourselves in danger. This is how we’re conditioned. We find ourselves forgetting to live in order to survive, but what is the point of life when there’s no joy? Is life only about achievements and money? How much are we willing to sacrifice in the name of all those things? Our health? Our sanity? Our relationships? We have to find a balance between basic survival needs and our personal wants and desires. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. How you choose to live it is up to you. I’ll leave you with this quote by the Dalai Lama to think about. “Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”
~Paul Phillips
