What if today was your last day on earth?

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” 

– Lao Tzu –

Every day we have the opportunity to change something in our lives, no matter what it is.

Steve Jobs said in his Stanford address that every day he would look in the mirror and ask himself one question, ‘If today were the last day or my life, would I want to do, what I’m about to do today?’ and whenever the answer was no for too many days in a row, he knew he needed to change something. And it’s the same in Groundhog Day. Bill Murray’s character is given the same day over and over until he realises that he needs to make changes.

So, the question is, if today was your last day on earth, would you want to do what you’re about to do?

Would you be spending time with the people you want to spend time with? Would you want to do what you’re about to do? Are you where you would want to be? And if the answer is no, then you need to make a change.

And it doesn’t matter how big or small that change is. It could be starting a hobby that you’ve been meaning to start. It could be going to that yoga session that you’ve been putting off. It could be going for a run. It could be cooking a certain meal, that is your absolute favourite, but for whatever reason you’ve not cooked for ages. It could be picking  the phone up and calling that one person that you’ve meant to call for a while, but haven’t, because you just haven’t got around to it, or you’re worried they might not want to speak to you. It could be going for a walk with a friend. It could be starting to look for a new job, because you know you’re happy with the one you’re in. According to Deloitte’s Shift Index, 80% of people hate their job.

Or it could be something bigger and more profound. It could be handing your notice in. It could be telling someone who you’ve been dating for a while that you love them. It could be asking someone who you’ve been dating for a while if they’ll marry you. It could be deciding to have a family.

It doesn’t matter what the change you make is, the fact of the matter is that every day is a gift. Every day is an opportunity to make a change in your life. So take it.

Inspiration for this post

Steve Jobs’ Stanford Public Address

Groundhog Day