Everyone has their own personal battles in life, but I believe there is one area in life where most of us are failing. That is, living our lives like we don’t have an expiration date. Most of us are putting things off because we are assuming we have plenty of time later to do all the things we dream about. How many of you have said I will do it when I retire? How many of you are waiting for the new year to begin the process of becoming a better version of yourself? How many of you are guilty of saying I will get to that when my kids get out on their own? How many of you have said we will go on that big trip next year or when the kids are older?
Why do we always assume there’s going to be a next year or that we will live to be 100 years old or even that we will be healthy enough later to do all the things we dream about accomplishing? We make these assumptions even though most of us have a clear understanding that tomorrow is not guaranteed. Most of us have even experienced a loved one or friend passing unexpectedly. We have received that dreadful phone call that we never imagined we would get. We have been devastated by the news of a tragedy. Yet, we still choose to live our lives like we don’t have an expiration date! I truly believe this is a subject that many of us need to start being realistic about. We need to start living life instead of postponing life.
My dad was recently given an expiration date and it was tough news to hear from a doctor. But once the initial shock wore off and I started to think about it, we all have an expiration date and none of us know when our check out time is. So why do we continue to live our lives like we have 100 years left. This journey with my dad has opened my eyes and helped me to realize life is short and I spend a lot of time worrying about things that DO NOT MATTER!
Imagine you have been given an expiration date and ask yourself these questions:
Are you proud of who you are?
Do you have regrets?
Are making things happen or watching things happen?
What would you choose to spend your time worrying about?
Who would you choose to spend the remainder of your time with?
If you are not proud of who you are, what is holding you back from changing that? I say spend your time striving to be the person you want to be. If you have regrets about life, ask yourself, can I change the outcome? Meaning if you regret not starting your own business, what is stopping you from starting that business today? If you regret not getting your college education, you can enroll today! If you regret something you cannot go back and change, start your journey today of letting it go. Maybe you regret dropping out of high school. You probably cannot go back and complete it now, but you can get your GED and you can share your story with others and maybe deter someone else from making the same mistake you did. Let go of those regrets you can’t change and spend your time living life with intention rather than in retention.
Recently, I realized I give other people’s opinion’s a lot more credit than they are worth. I’m not saying this to come off as mean but rather brutally honest. Other people’s opinions do not matter when I am deciding something for myself. It has taken me a long time to realize this and has been hard to implement in my life. Even though this concept has been difficult to get through my head, it has allowed me to live my life in freedom and cut those chains of worrying about what other people will think.
In addition to giving other people’s opinion’s too much value I also realized I spend way too much time around people who do not make me happy. Again, that is not meant to be mean but honest. I have a few friends who are always negative and dragging me down. That is not who I want to spend my precious time with. I want to spend more time with my friends who are uplifting, inspiring and ready to set the world on fire! If the people you are surrounding yourself with are not positively influencing your life anymore then spend more time around people who do! I believe sometimes we outgrow people, even those who have been in our lives for a long time and the truth is, most likely these are the people holding us back from becoming the new and improved versions of ourselves that we want to be. I am sure many of you have experienced this struggle at some point in your life as well. There is this tug at us that we must spend time with people because they are our family, a lifelong friend or even a friend of your partner’s. You are not alone, I have struggled with this too. Guess what? I have some awesome news! YOU DON’T HAVE TO!
If you were given an expiration date, I bet you would spend your remaining time around those who make you happy and those you love making memories with. So why waste the precious time you have now with those who don’t make you happy? What is the difference? You have an expiration date now you just don’t know when it is, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still exist!
“Stop feeling bad for outgrowing people who had the chance to grow with you”
– Unknown
I am not saying don’t go to your family reunion or cut off all ties with those who don’t make you happy but rather make a conscious effort to spend more time with those who do make you happy and less with those that don’t. Just because you decide to spend your time around people who are positively influencing your life doesn’t mean you have to completely cut the others out. It means you are finally deciding to move forward with your life and deciding who is going to consume your time and who isn’t. Here is the kicker! Make this effort and DO NOT FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT! You get one shot at life, make it a good one, surrounded by those who make you happy.
If you were given an expiration date today, of three years, who would you want to be? What would you want to accomplish? Would you make your dreams a reality? I say start planning TODAY and start living your life with intention. Don’t wait for a doctor to give you an expiration date because then it may be too late. Stop putting things off until a later date because the truth is you may not get to see that date. Start following your heart rather than always playing it safe. Chase your dreams! Give life your best shot! Be the best you! Who cares if it’s hard! It’s your life and it’s worth it! None of us want to look back on our lives and say, “I wish I would of….” SO, DON’T! Decide today what YOU want from life and spend every remaining day you have left doing it. Let go of the things that do not matter and spend your time focusing on the things that do matter. This is YOUR life and the clock is ticking! DO IT FOR YOU!
do it for you 
Sarah, I agree with every word of this!! My husband and I have people in our lives that say, “He should come home and quit working out of town all the time.” I say, “Live life while you can!”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sarah, It is hard to part ways with friends that we care about but are not what we need in our lives at this time. Sometimes we consider it being selfish to focus on ourselves but a sermon I listened to today showed me that God may have different plans for me that I had for myself. We are not guaranteed tomorrow as you said and I want to be able to have positive responses to the questions you posted. My thoughts and prayers are with you and MIchael J. as you focus on making your remaining days with your dad the most precious moments of your life. You have been such an inspiration to others through your honest reflections of the ups and downs of life. Through your example, others will gain strength to make the most of their own remaining days God has graced us with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You hit the nail on the head! This has been my decision! Positive people, music, info., etc. I’m also eliminating the stresses-people and things. If it doesn’t lift me up, it’s not worth my time and effort! I decided to live as if the trumpet is about to sound!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so proud of you Sarah! I enjoy reading your blog! You are wise beyond your years! Prayers for you and your family! Spend as much time with your dad as you can. You will never regret it! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
What’s with all of this negative and positive extremism anyway? Aren’t we all subject to either, depending upon what situation befalls or rewards us? Take away everything you have, never to regain it again, and see how quickly you also, would become so called: “Negative.” In how many examples does The Bible elevate and exemplify the spirit of self sacrifice? If we all chose never to help negative people, how would this help in illeviating negativity, beyond just killing them all off outright? These question among many others pertaining to this topic deserve closer inspection as well. Don’t you think?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very well Said
LikeLiked by 1 person