Carpe Diem

Imagine yourself in 50 years. You're in your early 70s, near the end of your career. You start to reflect on your life and think of all the things you wished you had done differently. And just while that's happening, a genie appears and gives you a second chance. You blink your eyes and find yourself right here, right now. The genie was serious.

We do not think of our lives in a linear way. We remember series of moments — memorable moments — and together these moments make up the meshwork of our lives. Make each moment count.

Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible. And I mean that literally — I hurt my knee on the treadmill this week and it wasn't even on.

Live in the present. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift — that's why it is called the present.

What if I told you that you are about to embark on a great adventure, that you will be given all the proper equipment for this adventure — food, clothing, shelter. And what if I told you further that you will have about eight decades to complete this adventure, and that every day you will be able to discover something new along your path.

Every single now is the rest of your life.

The world is not going to issue you an engraved invitation to this life. You've already received an engraved invitation to this life. You've already been asked to attend.

If you have 50 years left, or 50 days left, or even 50 minutes left, it's never too late to become what you might have been.

Always remember that the moments we have with friends and family, the chances we have to make a difference in the world — all those wonderful chances that life gives us, life also takes away. It can happen fast, and a whole lot sooner than you think.

We push ourselves through the week to get to the weekend. We have become 2/7ths people, only really living 2 days out of the 7 in a week. Things can be different. We can become 7/7ths people. And thereby become whole.

We don't beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by living well and living fully.

It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed. It is the things we do not.