Death.
People who know me well know that I'm an optimistic person. I like to look on the brighter side of things, and I hate surrounding myself with irrationally pessimistic people and negativity in general.
However, I have this one rather pessimistic mindset. I tend to remind myself that one day, I will die, my loved ones will die, and the stranger who walked past me on the streets will die.
Whilst the inevitability of death is a dark thought, it's undeniably the most powerful source of motivation in my life.
With every decision I make, whether that's in my career journey, my relationships, how I treat a stranger, and the morals I uphold, the inevitability of death is what pushes me to make the right decision, big or small.
Death pushes me to overcome resistance and procrastination
Whenever I catch myself procrastinating on social media instead of doing something productive, I ask myself,
"When your time is about to end and you reflect upon your life, would you be happy that you spent a stupid amount of time glued to your phone?"
This helps me beat the resistance to do work that is fulfilling.
Death helps me prioritize the things that will make me fulfilled
After critically thinking about my career values, I made the bold decision not to go to university. I know that this pisses some people off, and there were times when I second-guessed whether this decision was a good one.
"If you are lying on your deathbed now and never started that business venture, you'll regret it."
It's this personal reminder that gave me the courage to take an unconventional career path and deal with the judgement of doing so. It empowered me to pursue a business idea I'm passionate about and I cannot be happier.
Death ensures that I uphold my morals and treat people the right way
I've been in terrible relationships before and have been backstabbed. There were times when I've held grudges against others, and felt like acting in ways that are below my morals. I've also done people wrong before. I've held negative biases towards a person, like envy, for no reason.
"Do you really want to spend mental energy on a grudge? Life is too short for that, so why don't you focus on to the relationships that fulfill you?"
"What if you lost the chance to reconcile with that person because they passed away? How terrible would that guilt feel?
When I notice that I'm acting or thinking in ways that don't align to the person I want to be, a reminder about death pulls me back to my moral code.
Use death as an anchor to how you live your life
The inevitiabilty of death helps me overcome resistance and procrastination, uphold my moral code, and live life without regrets. If you're struggling to be the person you want to be, and find it challenging to live the best version of your life, remind yourself about this inevitable.
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