We’re all going to die. “Hoo boy. That’s a morbid thought,” you’re thinking. And you’re technically correct…but here’s why it’s actually the most positive thought you’re going to have all day:
Time is a limited resource.
Think about when you know time is going to run out. Things get exciting! Out of desperation, new stuff gets tried. It’s like the last few minutes of a basketball game. The fans are on the edge of their seats, constantly glancing between the clock and players are the ball in mid-air. Fans’ hands go from covering faces to being thrust into the air in anticipation. Nails get bitten. Down on the court, it’s more intense than ever. Crazy fouls are committed. Half court shots are thrown. Free throws take on a whole new meaning. It makes you wonder why you even bothered to watch the first 3 quarters.
The time constraint makes the game a lot more fun, and I think it’s actually pretty cool to keep in mind that just like a basketball game, life has its own clock that is constantly running down. Only no time-outs, no halftime, no commercial breaks.
Most human lives are very long. Significantly longer than a basketball game. So we do have to be somewhat sensible and make long-term plans for stuff like our careers or relationships or retirement. But I want to reach the end of my life and be able to say to say honestly to myself “that was fun!” And to say that, I think I’ll want to have made the most of my life. I want to know that I said “yes” to trying cool new things and getting the most out of what life has to offer. So I find that keeping my mortality in the back of my mind is one thing that helps me to remember to be open-minded about trying new things. Even though it’s kind of a bummer to think about death, it’s actually quite a positive worldview overall.
I should say: this attitude has also caused me to try things that have not turned out very well. I’ve been places and done stuff I didn’t enjoy, or worse, regretted because they were bad for me or others. Ideally we can limit our regrets in life, and avoid taking risks that would endanger our safety or happiness. But if I’m honest, I’m grateful for even the negative experiences too because they give me a wide reference point from which to evaluate everything else that happens in my life. Knowing how it feels to screw up or get mixed up in a crappy situation is something I can draw on to avoid mistakes in the future. And, I can share those cautionary tales and hopefully help others to avoid those same mistakes. It’s another way to turn a negative into a positive.
One thing I haven’t talked about yet is the aging process. This is another difference between life and basketball: we get older over the course of our lives as time goes by, but basketball players are about the same age at the beginning of the game as they are at the end. That means when Stephen Curry finishes a game he’s in about the same physical shape as when he started. He can still make shots and dribble just as well as he did at the beginning of the game. Maybe better, if he’s still improving as some people say. But life isn’t really like that in the long term. When we get near the end of our lives, our bodies and minds lose the ability to perform in the same way as when we were younger.
So we kind of need to have that “final few minutes of basketball” drive while we can still make the most of it. That means not waiting until we are older to put in the effort required to get the most out of ourselves. I think it would be a real shame to feel like you didn’t maximize your abilities while you still had them. I’d rather enjoy myself while my options are good. One day the most I might be able to do is yell until someone wheels me out to the living room to watch Wheel of Fortune. Gah. I better make the most of my abilities now.
Alright so please take this with a grain of salt. I’m not saying you should be one of those “YOLO” people all the time and be inconsiderate to others or to yourself by living a live of pure hedonism. The fact that you’re going to die doesn’t mean that nothing matters. It’s the opposite. It means that each moment can matter, for you and for everyone you interact with. So don’t be a shithead. Don’t treat people badly. Treat yourself and others well. The reason I’m putting this out there is I think too many people hold back from their true potential because they’re scared to take a risk, or seize the moment. They forget that any opportunity in life happens exactly once. They’re afraid of what their parents or friends will think. They’re afraid of making a wrong decision. They’re afraid to fail.
Don’t be afraid. Take the next step, seize the day. Make the most out of your time because it’s the one thing you won’t get more of.
I run a small SEO consulting business in San Francisco, CA. I like to write a little bit and get in arguments with my friends. It’s the only way I can make sense of the world.