WHEN DEATH BECOMES AN INSPIRATION TO LIVE

“Death is not a threat but the condition that maximizes my life”-Laura Rozo

My intention is not to sound pessimistic or dramatic in any way but reality always strikes. I remember playing as a kid with my friend Aziz, climbing mango trees, running around and doing just about everything that kids do. Hearing the news of his passing on at about 22 years of age saddens me. He was still a young man with a great future ahead. He still had so much to achieve in life. Anyway, who are we to question the law of death? It doesn't discriminate between young and old, rich and poor, elite and non elite. It comes without considering whether you have achieved much or little. It’s truly a thief that steals you from your loved ones. One fact remains; we shall all face the wrath of death.

As I remember my friend who has gone so soon, Laura Rozo’s  TEDx talk “If Not Now, When?” comes to mind. I’ll quote part of Laura’s talk to share her powerful thoughts with those who have not yet watched or listened to it.

“…….I tell you my story because I’m dying. The bad news is that you are dying too. The only difference between you and me is I know what’s killing me. The good news is that you don’t have to be diagnosed with cancer to claim your life. I tell you my story because the minute you realize that you will die, you’ll finally start living. You will take that leap. You will make that jump. You will fly. So, what makes you think that you have eighty or ninety years to live?…Seriously. There is enough time but none spare. If not now, when?”

Laura might be gone but she still lives on. Even to me who only got to know her through watching her TED talk. That talk has transformed my life. I know that one day, I too will be gone. Therefore, I have purposed to be happy, give my absolute best at everything that I do and do something that matters to me and to the world. When I finally leave this earth, I want to be remembered as someone who made a worthy contribution. I want to be remembered as someone whose life inspired at least one person. I want to be remembered as someone who successfully played his part and fulfilled his purpose on earth. How about you my friend? What are you living for? 

A LESSON FROM 7 YEAR OLD TERRY

If we all had the ambition that children have, we would be very successful. Children set their sights on the highest of goals which they believe is achieveable. One such a child is my 7 year old cousin, Terry.

Terry just got his report form and is back for holidays. When I asked to see how he performed in school, he reluctantly handed over his results to me. With such a disappointed look, he said to me, “I should have done better than that”. “I’m capable of so much more and I’m not happy with those marks”, he continued. Just to let you know, out of 14 sets of activities and subjects Terry has to do, he scored nine A’s, four B’s, and one C. His annual average was 87.86% which I thought was really good. To Terry, this was not good enough. His goal is to score straight A’s all through with an average mark of 100%. He is aiming for the highest and has refused to settle for less. His promise to me was to get back to school next term and give it his absolute best. He does not want to be the best in his class. He just wants to score straight A’s regardless of what other people have scored (Talk about being your own competition). He wants to prove to himself that he is better than his previous marks. I see a very successful man in this little boy.

You should have seen the embarrassment I felt. This little boy was teaching me what I thought I should have been teaching him. He got me thinking and made me critically look into myself. I realized how low some of my goals have been. How many times have we settled for less than what we really deserve? How many times have we settled for just average? Terry is essentially challenging us to know our worth and set Big Hairy Audacious Goals. All he is saying is, “Only the best is good enough”.