Death Forces Us To Examine Our Stories

It saddens me that death is the thing that jars many of us out of our daze long enough to look at our life. When Mom passed away last year, I must confess I did not examine my story. I was busy having a pity party. Today, I was given the opportunity to do just that. I would like to say, don’t wait until death punches you in the gut to wake you up to the state of your life.

STOP TAKING LIFE FOR GRANTED

I was recently asked if you knew that you had one week left to live, what would you do differently. I am going to pose the same question to you.

1. If you knew you only had one week left to live, what would you do differently?
2. How would you greet each day, who would you be?

My advice is to start living that way now and start being that person today. Greet each day with enthusiasm, gratitude, and love when you have clarity about your purpose. Then live your life on purpose with passion. Do not wait until it is too late when you really cannot live abundantly. Get out of the survival mode and start thriving today. You have the most priceless gift, life. It is a gift many of us take for granted.

THE OTHER GIFT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED

Right up there with life is our health. So often we do not tune into our health until we get sick or have been diagnosed with a disease. Why is that? Why do many of us not cherish what we have?

1. We do not realize that our quality of life is dependent on us being in optimal health.
2. We think we will never get sick.
3. We take our health for granted.
4. We use the excuse that we do not have time to take proper care of ourselves.

Our time on this earth is limited. If we want to maximize the quality of our experience while on this earth, we need to pay attention to the state of our health. Trust me, having a disease takes away from enjoying your life. It becomes a physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and often a financial burden that leaves you drained at the end of each day. The man with good health wants a thousand things; however, the man with poor health only wants one thing.

EXAMINE YOUR LIFE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

Examine your life before it is too late, and then do something different to change your direction if you are not happy with what you discovered. I was not happy with what I discovered. I am still a work in progress; however, I am more mindful of my daily choices. I now cherish this body that God gifted me with. I realized that the person who got me to the current state of my life was not going to be able to help me change direction. Thus, I needed to not only examine my story, but I also needed to change my identity. In addition, I must always be mindful of the state from which I act. Take better care of your gifts.

1. Move your body more.
2. Nourish your body with healthy foods, smaller portions, and eat less frequently.
3. Rest your body, your mind, heart, and soul (meditate daily).
4. Get enough sleep daily.
5. Drink enough water.
6. Nourish your mind and soul with quality information (think on things that are good and pure).
7. Challenge and stimulate your mind daily.
8. Engage in contributing to the lives of others.