Life Lessons: How Our Mortality Can Teach Us About Life and Living

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Portfolio 'The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art Of Turning Trials Into Triumph' by Ryan Holiday Always strive to mean what you say. Use your words sparingly and wisely. 54. Aging gracefully is not something all people can master. In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor's wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the rabbi's last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself. You don’t have to wait until you have a better-paying job to start putting away some amount in your savings account. A few years hence, you’ll appreciate that you did. 2. Walk your own path. One story describes a 97-year-old man who had come to terms with death and was 'ready to go' – but because his wishes weren't written down, he may be kept alive longer than he'd want to or be put through multiple hospital admissions and a great deal of pain.

The lesson from all of this is both banal and profound. Meaning is subjective. It cannot be imposed. It has to be discovered or created. There is no one-size-fits-all meaning we can simply adopt. Knowing this, you can choose to bear the marks of the passage of time on your body with dignity and grace. 55. Give others a second chance; everyone deserves it.

Making a difference in the lives of other people can give you a sense of purpose. Even in small ways, being of service can give your life meaning. 53. Your words have power. Regularly practicing gratitude simply makes us better in ust about every way imaginable. 15. Play well with others. There are people who think that laughing means you’re not taking things seriously and that you will never get things done while you’re having fun.

Some of these lessons are learned the hard way. However, by learning to cope with the challenges, one can come out of the experience wiser and stronger, more able to face whatever else lies ahead. Willpower is a limited resource, and it is much better to manage our condition than to expend all our energy on trying to avoid or change bad thoughts. Instead, we should simply observe and accept them and then try to let them go. We can then invest our energies in what truly matters: leading a value-based life and taking committed action. But not all of us want to be that open about the end. One man who'd been diagnosed with a terminal illness decided he didn't want to know his prognosis or share it with his family. Instead, he was choosing to 'die in denial' rather than 'lose hope before my time comes'.

Often it comes down to how much joy we extract from life. When you are constantly working, raising your family and dealing with your responsibilities it is easy for the days to seem short and lifeless.