Life is too short…
Life is too short – enjoy it. ~ Unknown
There are many variations of this quote that you can find online. I liked this one in particular because it was simple and to the point. This quote is a good reminder to pause, take a breath, and check-in with yourself. How am I reacting to this situation? Is this overkill? Am I blowing this situation out of proportion? A quote like this can be a good “jolt” or “poke” that helps “snap” us out of a bad mindset to take better perspective about the situation.
I don’t want to be too morbid here but looking at life as finite and delicate can serve as a good barometer for keeping us grounded and more focused on what truly matters. What if you did the math and figured out if you expected to live for _______ years, this is how many hours, days, weeks, months, etc you would have? Frankly, I don’t think I would have the guts right now to calculate that! However, the point is, sometimes having tangible numbers and calculations can put things into perspective and be a jumpstart to prioritizing what’s important to you. Perhaps you could break it down and focus on how many days or weeks you have until an upcoming deadline at work, or vacation you look forward to, or until the end of the year. What change did you want to make in that time span to better yourself? The sky is the limit if you have creativity and drive.
If we take a step back, living as a human being on earth at this particular time in history is simply a gift. How lucky and grateful we ought to be for having a planet like ours to live on. Let us enjoy all that earth has for us: nature, bodies of water, air to breathe, the ability to grow food, different lands to travel to, etc. Next, please think of those closest to you, maybe family, friends, co-workers, neighbors. We have the opportunity to experience all that earth provides w/ those we care about most. We are all here, for now. What are you waiting for?
Next time you experience a stressful day, hectic chaos at work or home, for find yourself in a bad mood, read this quote (that you hopefully strategically put on a sticky note on your fridge or on your phone’s wallpaper). Take an emotional timeout. Check yourself. We have limited time on earth to enjoy what we care about and love. Reframe that stressor or bad mood. You can do it. This will and does take practice but as we know, the brain is “plastic”, meaning it can change and grow based on your experiences and focus. In other words, you can change your brain to get stronger like a muscle when you work out. Remember, your brain is a muscle that likes challenges and novelty. Soak in this quote, put it on a sticky note, and place it somewhere you can repeatedly see it. That might take you a few seconds, maybe 1 minute to figure out where to put the sticky note. This little action or change could end up paying off big time for you if it helps change your mindset and gets you focused on being in the moment and enjoying life!
