Living Like You’re Dying

I was reading Heather White’s blog over at 2020 Communications.  She wrote most recently about “incredible strength“, including a link to a presentation on the Oprah Show by Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University.

This excerpt from a longer lecture he gave is thought provoking and Randy Pausch is an amazing man – humble, centered, wise.

If you haven’t seen it - WATCH IT!  
Here’s the YouTube link:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgyuYHXqlO4]

Note: you can watch the full lecture here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

After you watch it, stop and think!  Here’s what I thought about:

I don’t know when I’m going to die.

I don’t know when the people I love are going to die.

Frankly, I don’t know when the cashier at the grocery store, the waiter at the restaurant, the kids at my kids’ school, the person I accidentally bumped into on the sidewalk or ANYONE ELSE is going to die.  How do we treat every single person that we interact with on a day to day, moment to moment basis?

I look around and our default human existence these days just seems to be trying to manage the status quo – get up each morning, feed the kids, get them to school, get to work, do the laundry, pay the bills, go to the dentist, go grocery shopping, get to piano lessons, supervise homework, have a bath, get everyone to bed, fall into bed myself.  Rinse.  Repeat.

Nowhere is there a natural, systemic opportunity to reflect on life, what’s important to us, how to learn from our mistakes, how to live our dreams, how to make this a better world.  Perhaps that’s what going to church should be – but even there, it often becomes very rote, very focused on the steps to complete, the songs to sing, the words to say, rather than an opportunity for silent reflection.

We have to CHOOSE to find the time and ways to live consciously and to think about what kind of life WE WANT to be living – not just the one that happens while we’re not paying attention!  To quote Joh Lennon- “life’s what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”

I certainly hope that everyone that knows me or that’s been reading my blog knows that this stuff is important to me – I’m not just writing about it, I’m working hard at living it!

So what I do – and what I suggest everyone in this world do – is look to create those opportunities to expose yourself to thought provoking, inspiring people, writing, videos and ideas. Take advantage of the experience of all the other people out there who are travelling their own inspiring path through this life! Some of the blogs that I love reading are:

http://www.2020communications.ca
http://touchstones.wordpress.com
http://preilly.wordpress.com
http://www.firstourselves.com
http://www.happiness-project.com
http://www.goodnessgraciousness.blogspot.com

Surround yourself with visual reminders to help you remember - I have quotes and photos everywhere.  Here’s a favorite of mine:

I love the movie “Phenomenon” with John Travolta and watch it when I start feeling down or frustrated – it never fails to inspire me to marvel at the possibilities or the wonder of our minds and spirits.

What are the ways that you remind yourself to stop and think about the life that you’re leading?
How do you make sure that you’re not just talking about it – but actually living like you’re dying?