Can Death Be a Motivator for Following Your Heart?

I realize this may seem like an odd title/question but stay with me. The idea came to me from a quote I read by Steve Jobs:

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life… Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. … Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

—Steve Jobs

He was right. There is no reason not to follow your heart. Whether it’s in love, discovering what you desire, or pursuing your passions; it’s never too late. We do have something to lose however, if we don’t.

What Lights You Up?

When was the last time you asked yourself, “What lights me up?”

For me, there was no question as to the answer. Even as a kid I lit up like a spotlight from the inside out whenever I could be on stage. Now I also love writing and doing my podcast Loving Later Life.

Sometimes, as we get older, what revs our engine can change completely over time or evolve into something similar but different. What’s important is keeping our tank full.

Is there something you’d like to do, or try, or do again that would excite you, or at the very least has you feeling curious?

Not sure? Try occasionally making an appointment with yourself for a tune-up to look under the hood to see how you’re doing. We often look to others for answers as if they know us better than we know ourselves.

Trust yourself, because you know.

Finding Your Passion

I recently heard Martha Beck talking about finding our passion, and she said, “Be rested, keep an open mind, then let yourself feel pulled and look for something that feels like, ‘Oh that’s cool that’s really cool. I wish I could do that.’”

Then I say, be careful not to talk yourself out of it! Our brains want to keep us safe and comfortable. Anything that feels risky and out of our comfort zone will set off an alarm to our brain. That will then start the conveyor belt of all kinds of reasons why we shouldn’t do whatever we’re considering.

Have You Thought Any of These?

“I would be terrible at that.”

“I haven’t done it in so long, it’s too late now.”

“I don’t have enough energy anymore.”

“The door closed on that a long time ago.”

“I don’t have the time.”

“I don’t have the money.”

“I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“That could never happen.”

“I’m too old for that.”

I could go on and on. Why? Because I’ve said it all to myself at one time or another. But as I’ve gotten older, and I’ve realized that the runway ahead is shorter than the one behind, I’ve decided to say, “What the $&*#! I’m going for it. I’m going to take a risk.”

It’s so easy to get caught up in the how’s and the what ifs, but they just slam on the brakes while you’re trying to step on the gas.

You Simply Have to Start

I heard someone say recently, “Start before you’re ready.”

And to that I’ll add, start before death literally does become the motivator. The number one regret of the dying is not what they did do, but what they didn’t do.

We almost never feel ready to try something that is out of our comfort zone. It’s scary. We fear the worst outcomes and/or the uncertainty of what will be.

But all possibilities live in the land of uncertainty and the outcome isn’t what matters!

It’s about the experience of trying something regardless of what happens. If you risk dating someone and it doesn’t work out, could you be hurt? Absolutely. If you try painting and it doesn’t excite you like you thought, could you be disappointed? Sure. But you tried. Wouldn’t it be worse to never try at all??

We aren’t here to sit on the sidelines of our life.

Our time is limited and goes by quickly regardless, so doesn’t it make sense to find a way to spend some of it doing something we love?

I’ll let Steve Jobs have the last word…

“You’ve got to find what you love. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking, don’t settle.”

—Steve Jobs

Please Join the Conversation:

Is there something you’ve wanted to try doing? What is stopping you from trying? Are you having trouble figuring out what will light you up? What would you say to support someone else? Let’s support one another in conversation!