Happy Birthday to me! I’m grateful to have celebrated another trip around the sun last month.
 
My birthday always makes me feel sentimental about the time that has passed. This year, my musings took me back to a concept I first learned about in middle school when my seventh grade English teacher referred to “Memento Mori.” This Latin phrase, unknown to me at that time, translates into “Remember, you must die.”
 
Memento Mori is an ancient practice of facing our mortality as a vehicle to lead us to create a meaningful life. This practice has a long history that extends over many cultures, religions, and philosophies. It has inspired the philosophers of ancient Greece, Roman generals, and continues to inform the likes of Buddhist monks and Islamic Sufis to this day.
 
As a seventh grader excited by the idea of blooming into adulthood, considering my mortality seemed depressing. But as an adult faced with the reality of life’s impermanence, I now appreciate its meaning. Remembering that I will die one day is a powerful catalyst for living. This practice has motivated me to do many things. If I must die, then heck I had better live now, let me do what I want to do!
 
If you think back to your school years, you will discover that you all had a dream in your hearts. Sometimes, those dreams were best articulated by the lyrics to your favorite song at that time. Those dreams and those songs, seemingly forgotten, remain within us. We tend to dismiss the idea of going after our dreams because we’ve been conditioned with fear. Our socialization teaches us to fear the unknown, judgment, and failure. We’re encouraged to live safely. We know what we have, but don’t know what we will get if we release what we have now. What if we wind up with…dare I say…less?
 
My work with clients centers on presence, self-empowerment and taking personal responsibility. When you activate these energies, you could never wind up in a state of less.
 
It’s easy to get stuck in a safety zone that seems practical rather than chase an elusive dream. In our linear society, practicality often dominates. The result is that a lot of time is wasted on insignificant things and people. We wind up focusing our energy in places that don’t support our ability to thrive.
 
On this birthday, traveling back to seventh grade was a jarring reminder of the swift passage of time. This experience made it crystal clear that the concept of Memento Mori isn’t about death. It’s about embracing life. Facing the reality of our death creates a sense of urgency, a hyper-awareness that our time here is finite.
 
Your most valuable asset is your time.
 
Don’t waste this lifetime. Live with purpose. Utilize your power of intention to manifest the experience you want. Take ownership of your health. Dare to introduce yourself to that person you’re feeling drawn to, end that relationship that no longer serves you, tell that person you love that you love them and the one that hurt you how much they did so, take the trip you’re saving for “later,” move to the place that’s been calling you, and pursue that career change you’re dreaming of. The only thing standing between you and these things is your own fear, and fear is not real because it only exists in your head.
 
If you’re waiting for “one day,” please know that one day means no day.
 
What will you do with the remainder of your life?
 
Contact me to book a private session guaranteed to refine your focus.
 
Memento Mori. 😉