What does today mean to you?

For the vast majority of us, we will have all woken up this morning. Some people didn’t make it, and others are just starting their life journey (newborns). It will be a very sad day for many people and euphoric for others. So what does today, right here, right now mean to you?

Today, I am one of the lucky ones, I got to see another dawn rise — will I see the sunset? Will last night be my last one, who knows?

We are in a queue, the queue gets shorter as life progresses. Some people leave the queue and are never seen again, they are now just a memory.

You can never step to the back of the queue, your place is your place. Only time is your nemesis.

It is important to remember nothing lasts forever, life in its purest form is meaningless, we are born, we live and then we die.

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So why have I started with quite a heavy beginning to my article?

I am hoping this hits home with all of us and realise that any day could and will be our last.

I lost my dad in tragic circumstances back in 2018, he didn’t know that day would be his last, I didn’t know that day would be his last either.

He went to bed, woke up the following morning and he never saw midday. My dad’s place in the queue is now filled by the next person until the Universe decides when is their last day.

Powerful stuff eh?

So why am I talking about this, simple, I want to live the best possible life.

What does that mean in reality? To me it means being a good human, I want my last memory for people to remember me by is I was a happy, positive and helpful human.

My articles on Medium are written in the hope that some or all can benefit from my knowledge, and my experience (good or bad). I write honestly, and sincerely, integrity means everything to me.

So what does being a good human mean?

The one thing we can do as good humans is to do something unselfish. By this I mean do something for someone without reward, your reward is the satisfaction that you did something that costs nothing but your time.

Your time on this earth is the most valuable thing you possess, you can’t go to a shop and buy more time, and you can’t swap your time for someone else who has more time available to them.

When the time has passed, you can’t get it back, you can’t say ‘Oh I made a mistake there, I need that time back’. Life doesn’t work that way.

Once time has gone it has gone forever!

So think about what you can do to make the time you have on this earth more fulfilling, and what would make you happy.

Firstly, look at the things in your life that make you unhappy. What can you do to change this, we are in control of our lives, if you feel you are not in control then talk to someone who can help. We have all been there.

I felt out of control when I lost my dad, I couldn’t save him as much as I tried. That was the biggest heartache, it didn’t matter how much time I had available to me I couldn’t give him any, and it didn’t matter how much money I had — I just couldn’t save him.

We used to go out for drives in the countryside, we enjoyed seeing all the scenery together, the animals in the fields, the trees blowing in the wind and then my dad just said out of nowhere ‘One day, I won’t be able to see any of this anymore.’

It took me a moment to process what he had just said, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. ‘I will be gone and all there will be is an empty seat next to you.’

Wow, this blew me away, ‘Dad, why did you just say that?’

‘Because it is true, we need to make the most of the time we have together in this world. One day you will be in the same position as we are now with your son.’

What he just said went right through me, it was hard to hold back the tears, I wasn’t ready for this conversation. I wasn’t sure why he wanted to tell me this, perhaps he knew his days were numbered and this was his way of telling me he didn’t have long left. Who knows.

What I do know is that it gave me that kick to realise that life isn’t about, having the best job, having the best car, having all the money in the world (not that I have!). It taught me about TIME and that is how I know that your time is priceless, you can’t buy it no matter how much money you have.

So when you see an old person trying to cross the road, help them. Ask if they would like to take your arm in support of crossing the road. How much of your time do you think you will spend to help that person, in a few seconds you will have made their day.

Smile and say hello to people, people you don’t even know, it doesn’t matter, to one person they might just be having the shittiest day and that one interaction could put a smile on their face. You will never know that unless they tell you.

Let’s get interacting with people again, put your phone away, when you are looking downwards you are looking in the wrong direction! You are missing all of what the world has to offer!

Help someone in need, a homeless person, someone struggling as a single parent, someone out of work who just needs someone to talk to, to give them options and hope.

Hope is a lifeline to many, yet hope is one of the most obscure and unpredictable things that we put so much faith in, yet may never come to fruition. Do all you can to make someone’s hope a reality!

Trust me you will feel on top of the world.

Make the most of today, as tomorrow is never guaranteed.

Hi, my name is Scotty. Having been a senior leader in both HR and IT professions for nearly 30 years I enjoy writing about management styles, leadership techniques and values, along with anything else in the world that piques my interest. To see my stories pop up on your feed, I would love for you to follow me and if you enjoy reading my articles and would like to have stories sent directly to you, please subscribe to my newsletter.