You Only Have One Chance
Live it the way you want to live it
You will not get this again: Life.
You’ve got only one chance to live your life. So when you’re on your deathbed the best feeling you’d wish to have is to regret about as many fewer things as possible. When you’re on your deathbed, you shouldn’t say:
- I wish I had lived the life I wanted to live.
- I wish I hadn’t listened to other people’s opinions.
- I wish I had not cared so much about other people’s stuff.
That being said,
No one is going to remember you once you die. Certainly, the world isn’t going to change drastically after you die. The people you truly think love you a lot — will forget about you after a few months of your death.
And no matter how great work you have done, or how famous you became, in three generations, no one will even recall your name or remember you!
Yup. I’ve heard that line on the internet, and it’s 100% true. Do you remember your great-grandparent's name? Do your parents talk about them a lot? Maybe not. Certainly not. No matter how well they’d have for your family in terms of generational wealth, you don’t remember them.
So why care about other people's opinions? Why follow the rules made by other people who are no smarter than you? Why waste time doing the thing you don’t want to do? Just because they’re your parents, society, or teacher?
They don’t matter.
Whether it’s getting married, studying abroad, taking a meaningless job, or not wanting to spend time with your selfish friends — if you don’t want to do it — just don’t do it — no matter what other people say or think about you. Don’t listen to any of them. It’s your choice. It’s your life.
And then…if you go against their wanting, they’ll say this…
- You have changed a lot.
- It’s not correct to do it.
- You’re making a wrong decision.
- You’re the worst person I’ve ever talked to.
- You are mad. You’re dumb. You’re an idiot, etc.
Let them call what they want to call you — it’s not your business.
I wish I had done this way sooner in my life. Still regret not doing it earlier.
But then whatever happens after, you have to be accountable for that. If you’re not accountable for the decisions you have made, you’re going to have a hard time living the life you want to live.
So be accountable.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs
Go travel the world. Don’t get married by societal pressure. Quit the job. Stop caring about other people’s opinions. Cut your toxic, poisonous friends. Move to a new place. Do things that scare you.
Explore. Do what you want to do. Live how you want to live. Live this life as you just have one chance to live — at your fullest potential — a fulfilling life.
When you’re on your deathbed, you’ll not regret a single thing — because you’ve lived your life the way you wanted it to be lived. You’re fulfilled.
This story is mostly “note to myself” — and for people who find it relevant.
