What They are Not Telling You: Your Life is an Ever-Fading Masterpiece

“Life is but a fleeting moment, a brief breath between the eternal silence before birth and the eternal silence after death.” — Michel Foucault

Imagine that you walk up to the edge of a cliff and watch the sun rising. You have a mere 4,000 weeks on this planet, period. The average human life is around 79 years, or 4,000 weeks, or even less in developing countries. For context, if you’re 25 years old now, you’ve already spent roughly 1,300 of those weeks. They’re not coming back, never to be seen again.

A Harvard psychologist recently found that when they were near death, 75% of people regretted. They wished that they had lived a life true to themselves. Not pursuing their dreams. Not taking risks. Not living life to the fullest.

Why This Is Important: We’re all of our life’s journey

1. Time Is Your Most Valuable Currency

• None of that time can be recouped. You can’t earn back time, unlike money.
• A mistake is that young professionals give up hours in meaningless available time for very little return and forget that, at the end of the day, experiences count more than hours in the office

2. Embrace Radical Presence

• Mindfulness is not a buzzword; it is a world-changing way of being.
  - Learn to be present. Even 10 minutes a day will reprogram your brain to see life’s subtleties.
• “Zen philosophy teaches us that true richness is all about awareness and not accumulation.

3. Nurture Significant Relationships

• A life well lived is literally about people.
  - Cultivate real friendships, not faux networks
• When it comes to humans, less is more.

4. Continuous Personal Growth

- All you have to teach is a project: you.

• Learn one new skill each quarter. Read books that shake up what you think you know.
• Investing in self-improvement is the best investment you can make.

5. Focus on Experiences, Not Things

• Studies show time and again that experiences or experiential purchases lead to more enduring happiness than material purchases.
• Travel. Take classes. Attend workshops. Collect memories, not things.
  – Great adventures broaden your view of the world and of who you are.

6. Embrace Calculated Risks

• The biggest dream killer is fear.
• No significant innovation occurs without venturing beyond your comfort zone.
• Begin with small steps: each month, make one bold choice that slightly challenges you.

7. Practice Intentional Living

- Live your life intentionally, not passively.

• Write a personal mission statement.
• Conduct regular audits of your actions vs your core values.

Your Action Item: Start Today, Not Tomorrow

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. You have roughly 4,000 weeks. Will you allow everything to pass by, or will you craft a remarkable story?

Choose now:

• Plan that trip you keep putting off
• Train in a skill you have always wanted
  - Finally have that talk you’ve been putting off
• Heed a little closer to your true self

Your life is waiting. And time? It’s already moving.

*Disclaimer: Because life is short, fickle, and weirdly gorgeous. Make it count.