Inspiration to Motivate

A still from the 1962 film <n>Ivan's Childhood</n>, directed by <n>Andrei Tarkovsky</n>.

## **How To Cherish Life**

Like most people, you are probably waiting for something to happen. Maybe you are waiting to fall in love. Maybe you are waiting for your career to take off. But this is the problem. You are eager to get some place other than where you are. You want to be somewhere in the distance where the grass is greener. However, the grass is never greener, but it does fade. It fades and becomes something else. Because life is constantly changing.

When life does change, you will probably miss the way it was. You may miss those long morning drives or walks to the office, or those hectic family gatherings. You may miss them because those moments are finite - you will only travel those streets and see those people a certain amount of times.

Every time you do something that is one less time you do it. One day you will do something the final time and you will rarely know when that day comes.

For all you know, today might be the last time you walk in a particular neighborhood. Or it might be the last time you smile at a particular someone. To think otherwise, would be foolish. Nothing is guaranteed, except this moment. Your only ‘real’ choice is to cherish every exchange like it is your last - because it very well might be.

Therefore, the best way to cherish life is to remind yourself of life’s impermanence. It is to remember that every time you see someone that is one less time you see them. It is to remember that every time you go somewhere that is one less time you visit. By doing this, you naturally slow down. Almost like a reflex, you start to truly live.

"The more you pursue feeling better all the time, the less satisfied you become, as pursuing something only reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place."

— Alan Watts

Diagram by <n>camdiamond</n> illustrating a cyclical process of growth and learning.

A diagram from <n>Joe Dispenza</n>'s book, <n>Becoming Supernatural</n>.

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."

Learn to laugh at the mental warfare you play with yourself. Before a long run, everything hurts. Before a big meeting, nothing is ready. Before a big launch, it's not the right time. This is the only fight that matters. Once you see it for what it is, you realize it's just a game. Then, you can finally start playing.