A 90 Year Life - It’s Not as Long as We Might Think

Sometimes social media shows you what you need. Yes, often it’s creepy how you’re talking about a holiday to Paihia, and then weirdly your feed is full of deals for accommodation and adventures in the Bay of Islands. But sometimes you see a post that resonates, or it’s just the tonic you need. This one was one of those.

The full link to the article by Marc and Angel is here, and at the bottom of this post, but there are a couple of sections that stood out and are worth a closer look. Not sure the article’s title reflects the content, but we can forgive a little click bait – it’s called “10 Painfully Obvious Truths Everyone Forgets Too Soon”

1.  The average human life is relatively short.

We know deep down that life is short, and that death will happen to all of us eventually, and yet we are infinitely surprised when it happens to someone we know.  It’s like walking up a flight of stairs with a distracted mind, and misjudging the final step.  You expected there to be one more stair than there is, and so you find yourself off balance for a moment, before your mind shifts back to the present moment and how the world really is.

LIVE your life TODAY!  Don’t ignore death, but don’t be afraid of it either.  Be afraid of a life you never lived because you were too afraid to take action.  Death is not the greatest loss in life.  The greatest loss is what dies inside you while you’re still alive.  Be bold.  Be courageous.  Be scared to death, and then take the next step anyway.

We all know our time is finite, but we do often get caught up in the moment and totally ‘sweat the small stuff’. Taking a step back and remembering this can help keep the focus on what really matters. It can also make it a little easier to step away from, or say no thanks, to the things, people, jobs, responsibilities that aren’t adding value to our lives either through how we choose to give or how they give to us. Those environments that drain us also take away energy we could be putting into what really lights us up or matters most. To make it a little easier to rip the band-aid off, here’s a confronting image courtesy of ‘Wait But Why’.

This is a long human life in years:

The image of a human life in years is a little confronting! There doesn’t seem to be enough diamonds.

Imagine colouring in one of these diamonds with dots, each dot reflecting how your time is spent. Think about the things that detract value from your life, and the things that lift you up. How much of your diamond is glowing with good things? How much is in the shadow? How does holding on to what doesn’t serve you, feel familiar and comfortable? What would life be like if you chose and designed each diamond the way you wanted it to be?

This next point from Marc and Angel’s list of ten carries on this theme.

2.  You will only ever live the life you create for yourself.

Your life is yours alone.  Others can try to persuade you, but they can’t decide for you.  They can walk with you, but not in your shoes.  So make sure the path you decide to walk aligns with your own intuition and desires, and don’t be scared to switch paths or pave a new one when it makes sense.

Remember, it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t.  Be productive and patient.  And realize that patience is not about waiting, but the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in.  This is your life, and it is made up entirely of your choices.  May your actions speak louder than your words.  May your life preach louder than your lips.  May your success be your noise in the end.

And if life only teaches you one thing, let it be that taking a passionate leap is always worth it.  Even if you have no idea where you’re going to land, be brave enough to step up to the edge of the unknown, and listen to your heart.

“It’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t.” – ooof.  

With societal expectations and responsibilities, it can be hard to change ladders. It doesn’t always need to be a gallant leap from one ladder to the next – often it’s not like this at all. When this happens it’s usually called a mid-life crisis! Often it’s more of a side glance in a new direction, away from the path you’re on to the one ‘just over there’. Followed by a testing of the waters, some good discussion, a little research and a slow re-setting of the direction and over time, the old worn path fades, and you’re on the new one.

While we’ve moved from ladders to paths in this metaphor, hopefully the sentiment is still there and resonates. The right ladder, the right path, will always be worth the pain of leaving the old ladder or path behind.

Taking a look back at those diamonds is a stark reminder of the finality of our time here, let’s make it count.

Full article: https://www.marcandangel.com/2014/01/29/10-painfully-obvious-truths-everyone-forgets-too-soon

90 Year Life Image Source: https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html