Self-Improvement
The Clarity Death Brings As We Age
Making the “Death Talk” productive.
My mother talks about death a lot. My family often asks her: “May you please stop talking about death so much? It’s such a heavy subject.” Her response: “Most people don’t talk about death, and they don’t know how to handle death when it happens. It is better to prepare for death and talk about what needs to take place in the case of death since I am getting older.”
I can handle my mother’s consistent death talks because I’m a dark soul myself and don’t mind them, but most people are uncomfortable with the subject of death. Though not many want to hear this, we are inching closer to physical death from the day we are born.
All too often, we associate death with negativity. We associate the concept of death as something that should be avoided at all costs. But to what end? We are all going to pass at some point; it is 100% unavoidable.
Making The Death Talk Productive
If we know we shall pass at one point in time, why do we live our lives as if we have unlimited time?
What Happens After Death?
My mother talks about death so often because she wants us to know about all of the documents she has put in place to ensure there are no miscommunications once she leaves this earth.
She made it to where, if she were to pass, the only thing we have to deal with is grief. Most people aren’t afforded this luxury. Frequently people have to figure how to come up with financial resources for a funeral, decide if they will keep a person on life support or pull the plug or what type of funeral and ritual to follow (cremation or burial), etc. Furthermore, instead of preparing and investing in wills, trusts, and insurance for our families, many delay the process until they are gone — leaving families in financial, mental, and emotional jeopardy.
A part of the aging process is putting our houses in order and setting up our families for financial well-being after leaving.
How Can We Enjoy Life More As We Age?
We could go at any moment. I’m still in my 20s, yet I realize we will never have unlimited time. Time is something that can never be replaced.
But what we 100% for sure have is this moment. This moment is all we will ever have. So at this moment, what could you do differently to start living your life in a more meaningful way?
Questions to Reflect On While You’re Alive
- Am I on track financially?
- Is my spirit vibrant or desolate?
- Am I where I want to be in life?
- How is the quality of my relationships?
- Do I have firm and healthy boundaries?
- Are my days enjoyable and meaningful?
- Do I feel physically healthy, fit, and strong?
- Are there any addictions present in my life?
- Am I satisfied with the life choices I regularly make?
- Do I have positive outlets and hobbies I regularly engage in?
- Do I eat overall healthily and engage in habitual physical exertion?
- Do I get my annual physicals, bi-annual dentist appointments, etc.?
- Does my career/job align with my values, and is my work meaningful?
- Do I have healthy outlets and people I can express myself emotionally?
- Am I deluged in debt and habits that require me to live above my means?
The Clarity Death Can Bring
Whenever I lose someone close or hear of someone dying like Kobe Byrant and his daughter, I’m reminded of how precious life is. I’m reminded of how life can disappear at a moment’s notice. People die from freakish accidents, sickness, on vacation, and other random ways.
I recently heard a story of a woman who went back home to visit her family in another country. After enjoying a plate of food, she dropped to the ground for no apparent reason and died.
Death can happen in the blink of an eye, and most people aren’t ready for death when it finally arrives.
Death is extremely clarifying. It speaks to us with 100% candidness saying, “Hey, wake up, and live! Prioritize the people that matter most. Don’t live in unforgiveness and bitterness. Stop procrastinating. Stop investing your time in things and people that take you for granted. Stop Living life as if you’re already dead!”
The Five Regrets of the ‘Almost Dead’ By Tim Denning Are:
- They regret not setting their secrets free.
- A bank account full of money they can’t spend.
- They regret their lack of family time.
- They regret silly little grudges.
- They regret soul-crushing work.
Hold true to what matters most to you. You don’t have to wait for death to bring clarity into your life. You can have clarity now. Start prioritizing in the right order.
