I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of people have some kind of regret at the end of their life. I’d also be willing to bet that their regret comes in the form of not doing something.
We are taught to go to school, get a degree, work hard for 40 years, and finally, retire at the age of 65. Who in the world would want to live the freest time of their life when they’re so far past their mental and physical peak? Wouldn’t you rather do it when you’re 30 or 40 years old? Better yet, why not do it when you’re 20?
Go travel the world when you are full of life and energy, not when you need to take back pills and it hurts to get out of bed every morning.
Out of all the lessons that I’ve learned in my short time on earth, it’s that life is SHORT. I mean, I’m 23 years old… which means if I live the average American lifespan of 78 years, I only have 55 years left. Based on that, I’ve already lived about one-third of my life. I don’t know about you, but I feel like the last 23 years have gone by incredibly fast.
One of the many weird things about life is that the older we get, the quicker time seems to move. There’s still 24 hours in every day and 365 days in every year, but there’s a shift in perspective as you age…
When you’re one year old, one year is 100 percent of your entire existence.
When you’re 30 years old, one year is a mere 3 percent of your entire existence.
When you’re 65 years old, one year is about 1.5 percent.
No wonder old people are so nostalgic… always talking about the good ol’ days.
Now that we’ve established that life is indeed short and time is limited, it’s important to know what we should do with that time. I have a short and simple answer: don’t be patient.
Don’t wait for things to happen. Go out and take action. Make it happen. Stop waiting for someone to walk up to you and offer you a dream job. Stop waiting for an old distant relative to die and leave you their fortune. Don’t wait until Monday to start a new diet. Don’t wait until next year to start a business. There will NEVER be a 'perfect' time to do something.
Do it now. Now is as perfect as it's going to get.
The only thing that truly dictates what happens in your life... is you.
So when it comes to life, don’t be patient. Be impatient. Get on your own butt every day. Ask yourself: Why am I not traveling the world right now? (COVID may put a wrench in this, but COVID won't last forever). Why am I not working on a new business idea right now? Why am I not training for a marathon right now? Why am I sitting in this office for 8 hours a day at a job I hate? Why am I not pursuing my dream and doing what makes me happy?
The more you press yourself and the more impatient you are with yourself, the more you will accomplish and the less regret you will have when you are 75 years old. When it comes to life, be impatient.
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