Episode #81 You're Gonna Die

Seven Problems

• Tomorrow is never guaranteed.
• With each passing hour, we are closer to the moment of our death.
• Every single human being is going to die, and most of us will die sooner than we expect.
• We tend to talk about death like it’s theoretical or hypothetical instead of inevitable.
• We often fail to make positive changes today because we don’t want to acknowledge the possibility that yesterday’s choices were unhealthy or unhelpful.
• In contrast to money that can be saved or invested, time can only ever be spent.
• There are so many parts of our lives today that we are going to miss tomorrow.

Seven Principles

• The brevity of life puts the beauty of life into perspective.
• The awareness of death can create either fear or fortitude.
• Every moment matters, every choice counts, and every day is a gift.
• Nothing promotes growth and maturity quite like proximity to death.
• We can never reclaim the last hour, but we can always reclaim the next hour.
• It is never too late to begin making the choices that will help us become more fully alive.
• Our most important priorities on any given day should be human connection.

Six Practices

• Consider the possibility that you may not make it to your next birthday.
• Live each day not as if it were your last but with the knowledge that it could be.
• Create a funeral journal of statements you want to be true of you on your dying day.
• Calculate the days remaining in your life if you were to die on your 75th birthday.
• Find a physical reminder of your mortality, and carry it with you every single day.
• Initiate conversations about death with each of the most important people in your life.