Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. — Steve Jobs
The fact that I am going to die one day shapes almost all the decisions in my life.
People often ask me, why I don’t like pushing myself in life? Why do I hate long-term discomfort? Why am I against doing things forcibly?
I know where this comes from. People think higher the resistance, the higher the growth.
But no matter how hard you push yourself, you are going to die one day.
No matter how much you put yourself in uncomfortable positions to learn more, you are going to die one day.
That’s why I love the pull approach.
I try to find alternatives that give me better results without forcing myself to do things that I don’t like to do.
I have absolutely no wish to follow what society expects from me. Apart from the legal rules, I don’t impose any other imaginary rules on myself.
I meditate, but not every day; only when I feel like meditating. I journal, but not every day; only when I feel like talking to my diary.
Instead of forcing these things into a routine, I like to go with the natural flow.
Now, some of you will say, “I hate working out. You are saying I should not workout?”
Absolutely.
Don’t workout if you hate it. Instead, play an outdoor sport with your friends. Or go running. Or go hiking.
Get involved in a physical activity that you like doing.
“But I have a job, I don’t have that much time!”
NOW you are coming to the root problem.
The root problem isn’t that you are not working out, the root problem is that your job isn’t allowing you to do any other physical activity.
You were suppressing this root cause by forcing yourself to go to the gym.
Find another job, build a side-business, or start investing. Do something that gives you more freedom.
After you get the freedom, if you still can’t get yourself involved in any physical activity, which would be very rare, then you should force yourself to do that.
Why force now?
Because “You are going to die one day”!
Your experience on this planet is going to last only a couple of decades. You better maintain a good health to live it well.
So, realizing that you are going to die does promote pushing but only in the matters where you are enhancing your life, not pushing just for the sake of pushing.
Mindlessly pushing yourself to do something that you don’t like is a waste of the precious life you’ve got on this planet.
Don’t force Morning Routines, Habits, Meditation, Journaling, and other productivity hacks in your life just because the internet gurus say it.
Realize that you are going to die one day, and let that realization shape your decisions naturally.
Pursue Your Passion
I recently wrote a book to help people make a living doing what they love to do.
There was a time I thought I am a Twitter addict and forced myself to not use it. Now, I make a living on it.
When you make a living doing what you love to do, it almost feels like cheating. You feel like, people are paying me money to do this?
If you haven’t bought a copy of Pursue your Passion yet, then get it here.
250+ copies sold within 5 days of launch and people are finding it very useful.
Follow on Twitter @CrazyPolymath.