The Gift of Our Mortality
Why remembering our ultimate fate makes you feel more alive.
”Every person is born with a death sentence. Each second that passes by is one you’ll never get back” - Ryan Holiday, Daily Stoic
On a day we celebrate life, it is important to remember we are all facing death.
It sounds morbid, but Stoics practice the belief that by accepting our short time on Earth, we do not become victims of this destiny but gain control of how we chose to live every day with the reminder it could be out last.
The World is Uncertain; the Purpose is to Live and to Die.
The world is uncertain. There are twists and turns at every corner. In the end, we all face the same fate. The purpose of life is not only to live but to die.
This year has been proof we have little control. Life can be upended and forever altered at any given moment without our consent.
We hear many great stories of people who finally wake up when they receive a terminal diagnosis. But you don't need a death sentence to start living. The reality is that death is in the cards for us all. Facing our mortality can help us be more fully alive.
In a year filled with chaos and uncertainty, we can only be certain death is inevitable. There are forces in life we cannot control. We make a choice to accept what is and explore the possibilities to make it better. Or we can refuse and remain stuck. We can choose to enjoy the ups and downs and let go of our control or remain a prisoner of fate.
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” Steve Jobs
No matter what is to come, worrying will not change the future. We expend much of our energy and emotions on the negative; complaining, doubting, worrying; how does this move us towards a better life?
Read Obituaries For A Near-Death Experience
You do not have to be at death’s door to realize the value of life. Awareness puts your life into perspective.
“Obituaries are like near-death experiences for cowards. Reading them is a way for me to think about death while also keeping it at arm’s length. Obituaries aren’t really about death; they’re about life. “The sum of every obituary is how heroic people are, and how noble,” writes artist Maira Kalman. Reading about people who are dead now and did things with their lives makes me want to get up and do something decent with mine. Thinking about death every morning makes me want to live.
Kleon, Austin. Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered (p. 20). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
It is not enough to say, live every day like it’s your last, because few rarely do. We get caught up in time and energy wasters. Better to question the possibilities of life and whether they truly matter if your life was to end tomorrow.
Ask yourself:
What are you waiting for?
What do you have to lose?
What stops you from chasing your dreams?
If not now, then when?
About the Creator
Katie Brozen
Professional chef. Sharing stories, secrets, and recipes from behind the line of a professional kitchen.
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How I earn $100 in a day
There was a time when earning $100 in a single day felt like a fantasy to me. Not a goal — a fantasy. I remember staring at my phone late at night, doing small mental calculations: If I earn $5 today and $10 tomorrow, maybe by the end of the month… Even those numbers weren’t guaranteed. Some days, nothing came in at all. And that silence — the absence of notifications, emails, or messages — was louder than failure. People online love to talk about success like it’s loud and shiny. For me, it was quiet. Heavy. Full of doubt. The day I earned $100 didn’t begin with excitement. It began like every other day: tired eyes, a slow morning, and a question I kept asking myself — Is this even worth it? What kept me going wasn’t motivation. It was necessity. I didn’t suddenly become smarter or more talented. I didn’t discover a secret website or a hidden trick. I simply stopped waiting for the “perfect” moment and started using what I already had. I offered small digital work. Simple things. Work that wouldn’t impress anyone on social media — but work that people genuinely needed. And I did it sincerely. That day, the first payment came in early. It wasn’t big. Just enough to remind me that someone trusted me with their money. That feeling mattered more than the amount. Later, while I was offline, something unexpected happened. A digital product I had created earlier — something I almost didn’t upload because I thought it wasn’t good enough — sold. Then it sold again. I stared at the screen for a few seconds, unsure whether to smile or stay calm. By evening, another small task came my way. Then one more. None of these moments felt dramatic. No fireworks. No victory music. Just quiet confirmations that effort, even imperfect effort, still counts. When I finally added everything together late at night, my heart paused. It crossed $100. I didn’t jump. I didn’t celebrate. I just sat there — still — because for the first time, the number felt real. What hit me hardest wasn’t the money. It was the realization that I had been underestimating myself for a long time. I believed earning like this was reserved for “others” — more confident people, more skilled people, luckier people. That belief was wrong. Earning $100 in a day didn’t change my life instantly. But it changed something inside me. It replaced doubt with proof. And proof is powerful. Now I understand something important: money doesn’t always come from doing big things. Sometimes it comes from doing small things consistently and with sincerity. Some days I still don’t reach $100. Some days are quiet again. But the fear is gone. Because once you know something is possible, it stops being a dream and starts being a process. I no longer wait for motivation. I work, even when I feel unsure. I trust that effort never disappears — it just takes time to show itself. If you’re reading this while feeling stuck, tired, or invisible, I want you to know something honestly: You’re not behind. You’re just early in your story. And one ordinary day — without warning — things can start to add up.
By Shah Fayaz 2 days ago in Motivation
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