“If Today Were The Last Day Of My Life…”

Yesterday at the airport I ask myself this question, “If this was my last day on earth, how would I spend it?” And really I need to recognize it was a good question to think about, but not sufficient on its own. And I wrote a short list with differents ideas: 1. I’d like to go exploring: I’d like to explore more ideas, more places, and opinions. 2. Ignore the scolds: boring is safe, and I will be told to behave myself. The scolds could have, would have, should have. But they didn’t. And If today were my last day,I might tell someone I loved them. 3. Might try to make amends with someone you had wronged. 4. Enjoy the time as much as possible, and indeed bake a cake. 5. I’d like to share what I discover: and be generous when I do. 6. Do something. Anything: Talk. Dance. Write. Cook. Build. Network. Play. Help. Create. It doesn’t matter what I do, as long as I’m doing it. Sitting around and complaining is not an acceptable form of ‘something,’ (in case you were wondering !!). 7. Embrace my innate weirdness. No one is normal. Everyone has quirks and insights unique to ourselves. Don’t hide these things—we are what make we interesting. 8. Have a cause: If I don’t give a damn about anything, no one will give a damn about me. 9. Minimize the swagger: Egos get in the way of ideas. If my arrogance is more obvious than my expertise, I’m someone other people avoid. 10. Give it a shot: try it out. Play around with a new idea. Do something strange. If I never leave my comfort zone, I won’t grow. 11. Hop off the bandwagon: If everyone else is doing it, I’m already late to the party. Do my own thing, and others will hop onto the spiffy wagon my built myself. Besides, it’s more fun to drive than it is to get pulled around. 12. Grow a pair: bravery is needed to have contrary opinions and to take unexpected paths. If I’m not courageous, I’m going to be hanging around the water cooler, talking about the guy who actually is. All of these things are good, but you can do them anytime. No need to wait for the warning of a last day that you’ll never receive. Most of us don’t get the chance to know when our last day is, and even if we do, we’re not usually in a position to make real changes. Sure, we can “live in the present”—but if we want to build something beautiful, you’d better be thinking about the future as well. There is an urgency to life, whether you want it or not. When you embrace the urgency instead of ignoring it, you can create something that changes the world. Oh, and you can do this in a fun way that makes the best use of your own talent and motivation. And If Today Were The Last Day Of your Life… what do you do?