Live a life that matters.

Life its happening now, right this moment.

This moment will never happen again.

I struggle with the whole one life thing.  Not that I believe that anything else happens.  I don’t.  I do really think that’s it, curtains, the end, finito.

That’s the thing with death. It’s very final.

There is no coming back and saying, oh I just need to apologise to so and so, or tell someone you love them.

I don’t know about you though, but death makes me feel alive. It reminds me that, yes this is it.  So make it count.  Am I living how I really want to be living? Is my life working for me? If I was to die in 3 months what would I do?

Why the ramblings about life and death I hear you say.  Well my dad died recently. Hence why I have been a little quiet.  Although it’s sad, he was 71. He lived his life, he really did.  He travelled, was very active, very sociable and did what he wanted when he wanted.  A life to be celebrated.  He made the best of what he was given and then some.

He had a great perspective and attitude towards life.  He was a glass half full person. 

He didn’t have a great start in life either.  He had nothing really. Everything he had he created for himself.  But he chose to have a positive perspective on his past.

In so much of my work I meet people that are not making the most of what they have at all, living a half-life, or barely a life for so many reasons.

Part of what I do is work with them so they can see their past differently.  Enabling them to feel happier in their here and now.

It’s such a buzz I love it. It is important to me that I live my life on my terms and get the most I can out of it.  But I love being able to teach people how to do it as well.

I recently came across this reading, I have no idea who wrote it.  I love it. It sums it all up perfectly.  If you are struggling at the moment, have a think. Are you living life as best you can? With what you have at the moment? What can you do? What do you need to let go of so you can enjoy life as it is now, today?

Live a Life That Matters. 

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived.
At the end, whether you were beautiful or brilliant, male or female, even your skin colour won't matter.

So, what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Author unknown. 

If life is difficult, it is possible for your life to improve. It really is.  Get some help, find someone you can work with. 

Stephanie Chivers is a habit, addiction specialist.  She is passionate about teaching people how to live happy healthy lives.