Slipping Away

"Thinking about death will clarify your life." -- Candy Chang

Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Beatles - Imagine

It's true that in today world it's people loog down on thinking or talk about death... after all, it's such a morbid and negative topic. I love the quote above from Chang, I believe that if more people took the time to think about the fact that one day we all pass-away, that we would all be living completely different lives today. I for one am one of those people that lives with a hyper awareness of death. For most, that would mean living in a constant state of fear, stress or depression. For me, it means living with a strong sense of urgency to live out my purpose, connect deeply and not waste time on things that don't matter.

Many people lack this valuable sense of urgency, or even think that today has been wasted if not treated as a gift from God and Challenged by you to give it your best. Not just so you can enjoy it but to share your time talent and treasure with others that may need your help getting on with the act of "LOVE". Most all of us have been in that spot in our lives where we just don't pay attention to the time slipping away. We need to teach our selves to live simple. Need little, Collect little and share a great deal. Share with others and the world we live in. Instead of spending time with the people they love and cultivating deep, meaningful connections, they worry about what other people think, spend hours in front of the TV or prioritize external obligations over the people that really matter to them.

Instead of finding their passions and building a life around it, they spend years working for someone else, doing something that drains them, all for the sole purpose of paying for things they may not really need or want, but feel they should have. They put things off until "later" and save the fine china and fancy dresses for "special occasions" that they're not guaranteed. Living without this sense of urgency causes people to mentally check out of life in the present and focus time and energy on things that they perceive are important, but when they take a step back and reevaluate, have no true value to life. I truly believe this is the # 1 contribution on suicide in the world today. People get so stressed out that they dont have what others have told them they need that when they fail they cant stand the pain of that failure. The media, our neighbors "the Jones's" tell us that we need to feel successful. It took many years for me to come to this realization. I stopped watching TV some years ago. Not altogether,but not just to kill time. In fact when I think of killing time if makes me freak out a bit.

To be fair, I'm not immune to getting caught up in less important things from time to time. After all, the bills must get paid and certain things just need to be done as long as I'm alive and choosing to run a business and live the life I've created for myself. The difference is, I'm aware that my time is limited. Every time I leave the house I'm aware that it may be the last time I'm able to kiss my wife give hug and say "I love you." This makes my moments far more present and meaningful. It prompts me to pause and take the time to connect and express myself. More importantly, accepting and becoming aware of the inevitable means that instead of fearing it, I fear wasting the limited time I have by not living out my purpose. Living with a sense of urgency creates a life of purpose which, in turn, leads to a happier, healthier and more fulfilled individual. There's no right answer to the question, what do you want to do before you die? The only thing that matters is that you answer honestly and make yourself aware of the fact that you may not have "later" to carry it out. Learn to shift the fear of death to a sense of healthy urgency. Let that urgency fuel actions that lead to deeper connections, purpose, passion, joy and making whatever impact you want to make before you go.

DO FORGET TO LIVE WHILE YOUR SLIPPING AWAY

Capt.Curtis McDaniel

Thank you, Stephenie Zamora Living With a Sense of Urgency