If You Had a Year to Live

What if today, right now, you found out that you only had one year left to live? If you had a year to live, would you continue doing the same things you are doing right now, or would you make some significant changes to your life? Would you be worried about what the neighbors thought or the clothes you wore? Would you spend your time mindlessly watching television, or glued to Facebook trying to figure out what the rest of the world is doing? Would you waste time trying to craft the best tweets, playing video games all day, being angry about your job, worried about the bills, and stressed that life isn’t going exactly as you want it? Would you complain, whine, and argue when you had to wait in a line at a restaurant or when something that is usually easy in life didn’t go your way?

The sad truth is that most people don’t get a warning when their time is running out. And when they do, they’re often too ill, or the time left is too short to make many changes. They find out too late, and suddenly they’re forced to reprioritize and rearrange their life to make it fit with the purpose of life: to be happy. It’s almost ironic that while most of us are caught up in the rat race, we are actually racing against the clock of our lives, knowing deep down that we are closer to the end than the beginning.

Living in the Moment

So many people talk about ‘when their time comes,’ or ‘the future,’ or ‘what will happen when the kids are grown and out of the house,’ only to realize they’re spending more time planning for a future (that they might not even have) than living in the present. People shouldn’t have to wait until they can ‘afford’ something to be happy. You shouldn’t spend your present waiting for what the future will bring. Sadly, the future is not something that is guaranteed.

It can be frightening to live as if you were dying. You might start taking risks. You might finally book that Alaskan cruise you’ve always wanted to go on. You might kiss your spouse more, spend more time with your children, find the silver lining in life’s clouds, and start enjoying the simple things. Suddenly, the sun waking up every morning feels like more of a gift than a routine occurrence. The accumulation of full moons viewed becomes more valuable than your coin collection. The days that once ebbed and flowed without rhyme or reason will now find purpose and meaning. Chances are, once you get over the sheer shock of realizing you only have one more round of seasons to experience, one more Christmas, one more family vacation, you’ll spend more time truly enjoying your life and the people in it.

There is such a thing as the power of mortality. Even though we are aware that, as human beings, our time on this planet is limited, too many of us feel invincible. So as you think about your own mortality, you will face many questions. If you were to make a list of all the things you want to do before you die, what would be on that list? Go ahead and write it down. Write down 25 things you want to do or accomplish before you die. Once you’ve created the list, revisit it and ask yourself why you aren’t doing any of these things now. Is it money? The perception that you don’t have time? The thought that you don’t deserve to be happy, or that your life is designed to serve others? Or is it simply because you are afraid to try and extend yourself to experience the things in life you truly want?

Back in 2007, Reuters reported on a man who found out he had a year to live and decided to do all the things that would make him happy. He sold his possessions, lost his home because he stopped paying the mortgage, gave away the things he had become so attached to, and started spending all his time and money on what was important to him. Unfortunately for this man, the doctors were wrong. At the end of the year, when he was still alive, they reviewed his medical diagnosis and realized their mistake. Interestingly, this man didn’t want to change a thing. He had realized, through his brush with mortality, that living authentically and following his own dreams was far more fulfilling than being part of the rat race. Through this experience, he learned how to put himself first and rearrange his priorities to align with what was in his heart.

It shouldn’t take a close friend dying unexpectedly or a family member passing away without realizing any of their own dreams for you to live your most fulfilling life. Especially since most of the time, you don’t get a second chance to do things differently. And let’s face it—your Facebook status updates usually aren’t important enough to be included on a headstone.

Bottom line: Spend some time thinking about your own expiration date. Take a few moments to think about what you would do differently if you knew you only had a year left to live. Then, turn your thoughts into action. If you have a list of 25 things you want to do or accomplish before you die, spring into action! Start realizing today just how important your life is, and take flight to live without regret. After all, you have much more to gain than to lose!