Today I woke up from a nap to three different texts about Kobe Bryant. By now I’m sure most of you reading this have heard the news. Kobe was one of the NBA players I most looked forward to watching play, he had an ability to control a game like few have ever had. The news of his death is just another reminder about how fragile life is and how suddenly it can come to an end. I’m not saying this to be morbid or to scare you into fearing life’s uncertainty, in fact I’m hoping to do the opposite. There is one truth about life, eventually it will end. Death will come for all of us, and it’s not going to come when we ask him to. Death doesn’t care if you’re young or old, he doesn’t care if you're rich or poor, famous or unknown. My point is this, we can’t control when our time comes, we can only have faith that when it does we’ll be ready and that we’ve embraced every opportunity presented to us while we were here.
Our time on Earth is precious and short. Even 100 years isn’t long enough to learn and experience everything there is to offer. So, we must embrace every opportunity we’re given and go for it. Don’t fear uncertain opportunities, don’t despise moments that test you, and give your all to everyone you love and in everything you choose to do. Would you be more inclined to take a risk if you knew that it was your last chance to do so? Why do you think so many people succeed on their last ditch effort? It’s because in that moment they finally gave in to fear and embraced the moment, no longer worrying about the outcome, but instead they give their all to their given task.
When was the last time you gave everything you had to a moment? When was the last time that you truly went all in to achieve something? No matter the obstacle that was in your way, it didn’t matter, you were going to achieve your goal? Most people think they give their all, or say the do, but few truly pursue things with no regrets. I believe Kobe was one of these rare people, who every time he went for something he was all in, living in that moment. I hope you find these words inspiring and begin to slowly make that change. I hope you pursue greatness and do so without fear. Live this life likes it’s your last, because unfortunately it is.
There are a few things I hope you take away from this blog post. 1. Life is short and precious. 2. The people we love must be shown just how much they’re loved everyday. 3. Don’t fear failing something you love, instead think about how you’d feel if you didn’t give that thing everything you had and then were no longer able to do it. Take a moment and think about the last time you spent time with your whole family. Did you enjoy every moment? Were you present in the moment? Did you engage and laugh and love? Or did you complain about the drive, how much grandpa smells, or that it’s just so boring? What if you knew this would be the last time you’d have to spend with one of these people? Would you treat this moment different, would you talk more? Would you listen more? Would you be present?
Again, I know that seems sad and morbid to think about, but moments are all we have when time comes for us to leave this Earth or to say good-bye to those we love. I’m sure there are always things we wish we were doing instead of driving to visit family, or having to listen to Uncle Jimmy’s bad jokes, or whatever family quirk you have to put up with. The few hours you give to your family is stuff that remains long after they’re gone from our lives. Hold strong to those moments and embrace those times. Tell those in your life just how much you love them and what they mean to you everyday.
While time with family is so valuable, another thing I want people to embrace is living life like there’s no tomorrow. Think about something you love. Not a person, but an activity. Do you love sports, writing, reading, learning, running, etc? When you get the opportunity to do these things do you give your full attention and effort to them? Do you always show up and go for it? As an athlete do you practice with everything you have? What if tomorrow something happened and you could no longer do that thing you loved, would you be able to look at the things you’ve done to this point and say I’ve done all I could? I gave my all everyday.
We hold back on giving our fullest effort and attention to stuff because we have tomorrow. I hear this all the time, “I’ll just do it tomorrow.” I’m guilty of this too, everyone does it. I’m working harder at living each day for each day, I want to live present. Unfortunately it takes moments like this one to bring forward the truth that we’re not promised tomorrow. Don’t put off today for a tomorrow that isn’t guaranteed. Tomorrow isn’t a given to anyone, don’t miss an opportunity to live, learn, love, or risk it all. Be fearless in every moment and live a life of no regrets.
That’s the biggest takeaway I hope that comes from this. We all only get one life to live. We’re only here for a short period of time. Spend it doing what you love with those you love and don’t apologize for wanting to be great at something. Risk it all everyday, be fearless in the pursuit of greatness and know that without putting yourself out there you’ll never fully reach what you’re capable of. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so live today like tomorrow may never come. Then when it does come, do it all again.
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