Tomorrow, on your way to work, you’re going to get hit by a bus. Tonight, as you’re out walking to the mailbox, a freak storm will hit and you’ll be struck by lightning. When you take your daily shower, you’re going to slip on a bar of soap and hit your head.

Okay, so these things probably aren’t going to happen. Chances are, you won’t die tomorrow. But what if you did? Would you feel fulfilled? We’re inundated with bucket lists– your summer bucket list of must-do items, your must-capture photos of spring break… heck, I even posted a must-do list for the month of January earlier this week. Those are all okay things. But how often do we take 5 minutes to think about the idea that “if I died right now… what is one thing I wished I had done?”

When my grandfather was nearing the end of his life, taken too soon by a rare form of liver cancer called cholangiocarcinoma, he confided in my mom that he had spent so much of his time preparing for the future, planning for what was going to come, that he didn’t spend enough time living. He kept socking away money and working hard and trying to make sure he had enough for a comfortable retirement that he never got to fully enjoy because he ended up passing just shortly after he reached that part of his life where he could finally relax.

Wow. How often are we saying “I’ve got to keep working until retirement, so I’m going to wait on that vacation so I can save up more.” “I’ll make that big home renovation when I get around to it but I just can’t right now. Too much else to worry about.” Why are we all going around working our butts off to prepare for a future we might not get?

If you die tomorrow, what good is your retirement fund going to do for you? Will you feel okay with the fact that you waited on that trip to Cancun so you could take it after retirement, if you never live to see retirement?

Now, I’m not saying we should go around and be irresponsible and not worry about savings, or health, or retirement. Obviously those are very important things that we should all consider, think about, and plan for.

But if we’re spending our whole lives, our whole time, our whole finances and dreams and goals planning for that future… what happens if that future never comes?

Today, I challenge you to make a plan for 2015. Think about one place you want to go, or one thing you want to learn, or one thing you want to try… and do it. Don’t wait until you have the time or wait until you’re retired or wait until you’re not busy. And it doesn’t have to be a big thing. Maybe you’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty or always wanted to see Mountains. Make a plan, and go. Go before it’s too late. If you’re waiting for the perfect moment, that perfect moment may not come. I stumbled on a quote on Pinterest the other day that said “Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Take the moment. Make it perfect.”

Your perfect moment is now. Tomorrow, you will get hit by a bus. Tonight, you will get struck by lightning.

Make it count now.

To hear more about lessons I’ve learned from my Grandfather, you can check out my memories of my grandfather post here (which also includes a delicious oatmeal raisin bar recipe his mother used to make!)

 

How do you plan to make 2015 your best year yet?