How Many Days Do You Have Left To Live?

Imagine running in a race that you that didn't know where the finish line was.  You'd be running without knowing how long you have to run.  It wouldn't be easy.  You wouldn't know how to pace yourself.  And at some points, you'd feel like you're going to be running forever.

This is how we live our lives. 

When we give our age, we count the number of years we've been alive. That's like saying, "I've been running for 5 miles," without knowing how much longer you have to run.  This makes it difficult to pace ourselves and makes it hard to feel that every step in the race is heading to anything meaningful.  Intellectually, we know we can't run forever, but that doesn't change the fact that we don't know where the finish line is. 

Some people who suffer from a terminal illness have a sense of urgency to do something fulfilling before it's too late. They set out to complete their bucket list because they know when the end is. Some even seem to have an incredible appreciation for everyday they have left.  It would be great if we all lived everyday as if it were our last, but we know it's probably not, so we don't.

Some people suffer a midlife crisis when they get to the point when they are closer to the day they will die than they day they were born. The realization that the finish line is closer than the start line causes some to try to reclaim their youth, to feel like they did when they set out on the race before they get too tired...before they "miss their chance."

All these issues have nothing to do with appreciation for life or motivation or anything like that.  It all stems from not knowing where the finish line is. Ironically, we do have a sense where the finish line is.  I know, for example, that statistically I will kick the proverbial bucket at around 75 years old.  I hope to be a productive member of society until 70. That gives me 34 years to do all I want to do and make a mark in the world. If I live longer, great, but I'd be living on borrowed time. I have 1,751 weeks to do all the things I want to do and make a mark in the world.  The goal is to make every one of those weeks worth something.

I heard a story of a man who set up two fishbowls and filled one with a marble for every week he has left to live.  At the end of each week, if he did something that he felt was worth something, he took one marble out of one fish bowl and put it in the other.  If he didn't do anything of value, he threw the marble away.  That's a pretty stark reminder. You actually have to throw the marble away - a week wasted. A week you'll never get back.  The standard of what constitutes doing something of value is your own. It's a feeling.  Maybe it's helping your kid with their homework. Maybe it's helping someone across the street.  Maybe it's quitting the job you hate to go do something you love. Or maybe it's just sharing an idea that will inspire others to love every week they have left.

By reminding myself that this is the 34th year left until I reach the finish line, I feel a sense of empowerment much stronger than when I tell people I've been puttering around for 36 years. 

Lets all order marbles and fish bowls and make every step, every week, count.  Lets do what we need to do to leave this world in a better state than we found it before we run out of steam.

Download a PDF of this blog post...before it's too late!

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Great post. I have another look at life. I am not affraid of the finish line. I do not want to cross it right now, but I have come to peace with the fact that humans do die. Sometimes I do not race, and just sit down and enjoy the moment. I enjoy looking at all the other runners. And another nice tool in my mind is that no event can be judged bad, because you will never know what it leads to. So when everybody else is racing, I am slowly merly walking. And if I am lucky I will finish last :)

[Hans Hageman]

Love the post. At 52, the life expectancy calculation provides just the right sense of urgency as I immerse myself in the moment. One of my major motivations is helping people to live outside of "quiet desperation" so that the darkening of the years don't become a source of panic or depression.

[Peter Wright]

Great reminder, I am almost 60, I recently completed a survey that indicated given my current age, health, family history and lifestyle I should live to 86. A few more marbles than I expected!

Having experienced some huge upheavals in my life when it looked as if all my remaining marbles would be stolen violently, believe me I now try much harder to put them in the right bowl.

In celebration of this outlook, this evening despite a backlog of work, I got on my horse and rode around the fields enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

Today's marble definitely goes in the bowl.

Thanks again.

[Nwoje]

It's an interesting perspective to think about every once in a while, in order to recalibrate your trajectory in life. However, living one day at the time is what I think still works best for most of your days in this journey. Looking back and looking forward can distract you from focusing on the now, and now it's all that matters (like Omar Kayyam wrote, "Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.").

[Katie Jones]

How funny -- last night I went through the same experience I went through at age 6 -- dizziness at the prospect of death. 15 years later, it's not much different: the fear hits, my stomach curdles, I consider finding someone (I used to sit on a yellow chair in the kitchen and talk to my parents for support) and ultimately realize calmly that I will live my purpose out, and then go. This really is more frequent than I would like.

Last night the humorous thought occurred to me that if I wanted to live longer, I should find a bigger purpose :) The laughter helps me let go and realize that I have enough time, always, to do exactly what I need to do, if only I am willing to use it wisely.

But your words help, too. And you seem to be on a similar path. Marbles and fishbowls. Interesting thought :)

[Cyndi]

Simon, wiser words could not be spoken! I realized several years ago how important it is to "live in the moment", to not wait until "some day". Make a difference and leave a favorable shadow. Thank you for the reminder and for giving such an eloquent example.

[Sherry Ott]

What an excellent message. I threw a lot of marbles out before I finally figured out how to live for me and not for my corporate job and how society expected me to live!
Thanks for the reminder that I've made the right decision!