Your Impending Death

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild & precious life?” — Mary Oliver

When you realize that you only have ONE LIFE to live… how does that make you feel?

Does it make you feel panicked, like you have a scarcity of days ahead of you? Does it make you feel afraid to waste your precious remaining time on things that might not be worth it?

Or does it make you feel excited to be alive, excited to move forward, and excited to make today count?

I admit that I often fall into the first camp — the fearful camp. I start thinking about how far along I am in my life (I’m almost 40!), and of all of the things I want to do that I haven’t done, and I begin to feel my heart begin to twist up like an old prune. Resistance kicks in and I go into hiding and nothing gets done — and I’m worse off than ever.

In his wonderful book Show Your Work, writer and artist Austin Kleon talks about how we perceive the time that has been given to us, and how the idea of impending death affects different creators.

What stuck in my mind most was this quote that he shared from Steve Jobs, from page 24 of the book:

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” — Steve Jobs

WOW. Thinking about that fear as a helpful TOOL helped change the way that I approach my work and my life.

How about YOU? Do you need a mindset shift? What is it YOU plan to do with your one wild & precious life? And how can you make those plans happen?