A Path to Being #10: We Must Make The Most of Our Life Starting Now!

Today my dear friend @tamaralovelace posted about her cousin Mark Alan Rowland who died early this morning after battling lung cancer. His fight against this cancer was a brutal and very short one. I know the experience of losing someone dear like this, as my father had also suffered the same horrible fate. According to @tamaralovelace’s post, Mark was diagnosed in October of last year and wanted to return to Florida to be with the ocean and his remaining family members but unfortunately his rapid decline made that dream impossible. In honor of Mark and his wonderful cousin @tamaralovelace, I want to dedicate this post to them.

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“Your end, which is endless, is as a snowflake dissolving in the pure air.”
~Zen Teaching~

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Mark’s quick passing reminds me that we really need to start living our lives freely and happily in the NOW. We can’t continue to make excuses that we can do it tomorrow because there are no guarantees that there will be one. This is not to say that we have to start fretting that something may happen in the near future but only to remind us that we all have to stop making excuses and begin living each day, fully and joyously, so we don’t have any regrets.

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“One day you will wake up
and there won’t be any more time
to do the things you’ve always wanted.
Do it now.”
– Paul Coelho

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Have you ever stopped to think, why it is we tend to push things to the back of our minds, until it is too late? Why is it that we put off doing the things we always wanted to do, until something happens and then we can’t do it? We probably would have regrets and saying to ourselves, “Would have, should have, could have.” Maybe we need to learn something about procrastination and putting things off!

It is usually when we lose a special person, that we start to reflect on life, which can be so fragile and tenuous. We begin to acknowledge that there are no guarantees in life and that we really need to start thinking about what we are doing with our own life right now. Are we happy, satisfied, and content? Have we done all the things we’ve always wanted to do? If there is no tomorrow, would we have any regrets?

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“Beware of missing chances;
otherwise it may be altogether
too late some day.”
-Franz Liszt

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So how can we start to have a fuller life? For one, we should know that life is a process of always evolving and growing. So why would we want to stand still and waste our precious time? Each day is an opportunity to experience something new and to expand our awareness as we engage in it. It is a time of interacting with nature, people, and even sitting still while meditating. It is a time for doing something for you.

Many people create a bucket list which lists all the things they want to do or experience before they die. It is a list of things that should be filled with new experiences or challenges. By creating this list you will have something tangible to look at, a list of life goals. Of course listing these things is one thing. Doing some of the things on the list is the next step. Don’t hesitate to put down on your list even the things that might be out of reach for you at this time. You never know when the opportunity will arise to try it.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that life is full of wonderful learning opportunities so we need to be open to them each day. We need to learn from everything, whether large or small. Embracing new sights, sound, tastes, touches and smells will add a new dimension in your life. Adding all these new things will give you a fuller life. So never stop learning and growing.

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“The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies,
continual growth, constant change,
the enjoyment of every new experience.
To stop means simply to die.
The eternal mistake of mankind is
to set up an attainable ideal.”
-Aleister Crowley

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It is easy to do routine things each day because it is a known activity to you. But are you evolving and growing? Every so often, try something different like literally adding a new spice into your life. Keep your life full with new exposures and experiences. Keep your life stimulated!

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“Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution
experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.”
-Tony Robbins

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It may sound cliché but giving and volunteering can really be a very rewarding experience. There are actual visceral changes that take place when you give of yourself to help others. It comes from the warm, deep feeling of joy when you reach out to another and lend a hand or give comfort. Until you do it, you will never know the true, deep wonderful feeling of immense happiness when that person smiles, gives you a hug, cries for happiness or simply says thank-you. It is something money cannot buy.

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“The fear of death follows
from the fear of life.
A man who lives fully
is prepared to die at any time.”
-Mark Twain

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These are only a very few suggestions that can add to a fuller life. I only covered some but I’m sure that there are still many more. I just wanted to start your engines rolling to get you to stop & reflect on where you are right now in your life. I know many of you are already doing the things that bring you fullness and joy. But I am also sure there are other things that we all still need to do. So go out and live life fully, as it should be lived. And never look back or too far ahead. Enjoy the present moment!

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I sincerely appreciate your visit and look forward to working with you on Steemit. May your week ahead be stress free and happy! And make sure you are living a life of NOW!

All pictures in this post came from https://pixabay.com

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