Don’t wait until you’re dying to start living
Although it seems everyone I know loves it, I can’t stand it.
The popular Tim McGraw country song titled Live Like You Were Dying came out in 2004.
The lyrics struck me as cheesy. The gist of the song is that the singer receives a life-threatening diagnosis and has the chance to do all the things he always wanted to.
He goes skydiving, and rocky mountain climbing, works on his relationships, and has an all-around pretty awesome time.
Then, the chorus ends on this line: Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.
Cheesy? Yes.
However, the lyrics became much more relevant to me recently as I had my own brush with mortality.
Still, I take issue with the focus of the song. We don’t need health scare to experience life as God meant for us to live it.
What if you could chase the things that scare you? Or speak those words you know you should? What if you chose to take thesolo vacation, write the book, start the business you’ve wanted to, or whatever else you’ve been putting off for “someday?”
The truth is you can. You just need to live like you were living.
In other words, Live. Now.
Not because one day it will be too late. (Even though it’s true.)
Live to the fullest, because this is your life, and you are the only one who can live it. Don’t deny those in your life the gift of your living.
Don’t deny yourself that gift either.
How to Live Like You Were Living
If you want to live – really live – here are some techniques to help you grow on your path.
Pursue your passions
I believe God created us each with a unique set of passions for a reason. I believe His heart is happy when his children find joy in his creation.
Whatever your happy place is, do more of it. Life can get in the way of your joy if you let it, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You choose your priorities, and you can make different choices.
Find joy in living out the smallest moments
Joy doesn’t have to come from big things in life. Often the small things bring the most happiness.
When is the last time you sat and watched a sunset, feeling gratitude for the beauty before you? Every day, there is immense beauty all around us, but most of us barely notice.
When I received my bone marrow transplant, the highest point of my day was the time I got to spend in the outdoor healing garden. I have never been so grateful to feel the heat of the sun or a blast of wind.
Although they happened during some of my worst days, the moments spent in the garden alone with a cup of coffee, a book, and my journal are among the most treasured of my life and provided the fuel for quite a bit of personal growth.
Stop living in the past
Holding on to past hurts robs you of today’s joys and tomorrow’s promises. Let the past go.
Forgive others.
Forgive yourself.
Focus on the present.
Push past your comfort zone
This is what a near-death experience does for you. It moves the boundaries of your comfort zone.
You don’t have to wait to face your own mortality, you can make the choice to push past your comfort zone and live at your edge.
Everything you want in life is found on the other side of comfort.
Conclusion
Life is not lived in the past, where the wrongs of yesterday linger. Nor is it lived in the future, where doubt and worry steal our peace. It is lived in the present moment, in the now.
I pray you will not have to stare death in the face to wake up to the infinite wonders of this life and find joy in life’s simplest moments.
Now, go out and live like you were living!
Jon