I was recently reading a book in which the author exhorted the reader to "live everyday as if it were your last." As you can imagine, this advice resonated with someone like me. As I've said many times, the future isn't promised to anyone. You or I could die tomorrow. Therefore, we must be in a hurry to make something of our dashes.

Yet, it's one thing to say it and another thing to actually do it. Therefore, I took a hard look at my life to determine if I was, in fact, living everyday as if it were my last. And you know what I discovered? I discovered that I'm not living that way. Not only that, but I also discovered that I shouldn't live that way and neither should you.

It simply isn't practical to live as if it were your last day on the planet. Think about it. Would you spend your last day on earth working at your job or doing chores around the house? Of course not. You'd be too busy enjoying the company of your family and loved ones to even consider such seemingly "menial" tasks. Now, could you imagine an entire society of people with this mentality? Who would be around to staff the emergency rooms on their last day on the planet? Who would be around to patrol the streets and put out fires? Who would be around to pick up the trash? The answer is simply, "No one." Within days, our society would fall into utter chaos.

And even if you were the only person to develop this mentality, you'd still be in trouble. Would you go on a diet on your last day on the planet? Of course not. In fact, you'd probably "pig out." I know I would. Likewise, you probably wouldn't spend much time at the gym or at the dentist either. After all, what would be the point? Therefore, as you can see, if you live everyday like it's your last, then your last day will come sooner than you think.

So how are we to live so that we make the best use of our limited and uncertain time but still act responsibly? My suggestion is that we all live as if we only have six months to live. Six months is a long enough period so that we won't act with complete disregard for the future. We'll still pay our bills, eat our vegetables and exercise. Yet, it's a short enough period of time to keep us from putting off the things that inevitable fall by the waste side so long as we have the illusion that we have all of the time in the world.

If You Just Had Six Months to Live (Part II)

You know the things I'm referring to. I'm referring to that romantic getaway that you've been "meaning" to go on with your spouse but somehow, you just haven't gotten around to it. I'm referring to that family get together that you've been meaning to organize, but somehow, you just haven't gotten around to it. I'm referring to that project you've been meaning to volunteer for. But somehow, you just haven't gotten around to it. I'm referring to that book that you've been meaning to write, that business you've been meaning to start, that job change you've been meaning to make, and I could go on and on.

The beauty of six months is that it's enough time to accomplish great things, but it's just enough time. You can write a book in six months, but only if you get started today. You can have the grand opening for your business in six months, but only if you get started today. You can organize a family reunion in six months, but - you guessed it - only if you get started today.

In short, acting as if you only have six months to live is the perfect antidote for the "someday when" syndrome; where you put off everything until that magical someday when the kids get out of school, the economy turns around, the weather gets better (or pick your favorite excuse). Well, when you start to think in terms of your last six months on the planet, all of those "someday whens" disappear. You simply don't have time to wait until the kids get out of school, the economy gets better or the weather clears up. You must turn the somedays into todays.

Thinking in terms of your last six months on the planet will do that for you. Therefore, I suggest that you wake up each morning, look yourself in the mirror and say, "You only have six months to live. What are you going to do about it?" It may seem like a silly exercise but the truth is that you just might be telling the truth. So why not act like it anyway?