One day, you will return to the source that created you. While this reality is an overwhelming concept, it is the secret power for many of the most successful people. Why? Accepting the reality that your life will end is the very thing that frees you to live.
Steve Jobs said it best in his commencement address at Stanford University:
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
We place so much emphasis on living perfectly, achieving
success and receiving validation that we don't truly live. By accepting
the fact that life is short, you can let go of perfectionism and just
live your life. You can embrace your true expression and start living
it.
While this is certainly not a topic you tend to read on
business websites, it is nonetheless a topic that can truly empower you
to live and achieve in a way you've never experienced before. That's
what happened with me. Embracing my mortality helped me create more
professional success and personal fulfillment.
Here are four things you will gain when you embrace the reality that you won't live forever.
1. A life with less fear
I'm not going to suggest that you can live without fear.
The human being is an evolutionary species that uses anxiety and fear to
survive. So don't judge yourself if you feel fear.
Yet you should embrace the fact that an excess of fear does
not serve you. You only live once, and while that is cliche, it isn't
any less true. When you accept that life is short, you can let go of
fears of failure and rejection. You can let go of any other fear which
keeps you from living fully.
Remember this: you're not going to remember the times you
failed on your deathbed. You're going to regret the times you didn't go
for it because you were too scared.
2. A feeling of invincibility
One time I was negotiating a contract and the other company
suggested the idea that my company would fail if they walked away
because we didn't accept their version of the deal. I told them that
this was an outcome I was willing to face. In that moment, I realized
that the idea of my startup failing had no real consequence on the
outlook of my life. Why?
I realized that there was nothing this company could do of
any real consequence to me as a human spirit. Even if we didn't get the
deal, and even if we did go out of business, it wouldn't ruin my life.
If that happened, I would take some time off to travel and make space
for a new inspiration or purpose to come forward. That time off could
spark an idea that becomes a new company that ends up selling for
millions? Or what if I realized that a consulting business would create a
lifestyle I enjoy more than a venture-backed startup?
The point is not that you shouldn't care about outcomes.
The point is that when you care too much about them that you compromise
your worth, you've given all your power away. By realizing that this
group had no real power of me, I was free to take action without fear.
3. The freedom to live your life
Too many of us are living the lives that others wanted for
us. This often happens because our fear of death makes us want to live
life the right way or the safe way. Unfortunately, this is not a path to happiness.
When you realize life is short, you are free to let go of
the dogmas and burden beliefs that others place on you. You give
yourself permission to dream up the life you want and the freedom to
pursue it. It's your life, and you only get one. You can live it however
you want.
Here's an example. I met an expansive young woman who is first
generation American. Her parents immigrated from India and wanted her to
be a doctor or lawyer. However, her dream was to be the next Oprah -
interviewing inspiring people and sharing the gifts of mindfulness and
conscious creation. I was thrilled when she told me that she moved to
Los Angeles and is actively pursuing her dream. That's what it's all
about.4. You say "yes" to life
When you soften your grip on needing to control your life,
you start to see more serendipity and luck come into it. I call this the
"magic." Magic tends to show up when you say "yes" to opportunities
that come your way.
The carpe diem spirit helps this process. You only live
once, so saying "yes" to things brings you new opportunities and
experiences. I am sure that so many of your favorite moments in life
were not planned and showed up when you said "yes."
Final Word
Whether it's working, traveling or spending time with the
people you love most, the shortness of life inspires you to seek out and
live the life you want to live. When this happens, you'll notice that
your life feels more full and you have more energy. It feels like you're
tapping into the power and energy of life. Death is actually a tool to
help us live. It gives us permission to live a full life on our own
terms, and in our own way. Let's take advantage of it.
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