It sucks to think about death, doesn't it? You're busy enjoying life, after all.
Or are you?
Admit it. It's not always fun and games. Sometimes life really gets you down.
That's where thinking about death can be strangely uplifting.
In fact, there are powerfully positive and empowering things that can happen when you put time into the notion that one day, you're not going to be here anymore.
For example, by putting your affairs into order, you can live better now because you're free from worrying about what will happen after you die. Not enough people put time into this, leaving chaos after their demise that tears families apart. And that can make the memory of your life a bitter pill to swallow for years to come.
But that's not the direction I want to take us in. Rather, these three simple activities will make your life more memorable starting now. All you have to do is give them a try and you'll be amazed by how they help.
1. Imagine Your Funeral
Sounds grim, I know. But once you get into it, seeing and hearing your friends, family and colleagues acknowledge your passing creates perspective and insight that can improve your happiness.
This brain game is best played with pen and paper. Make a list of two friends, two family members and two colleagues (or fellow students if you're still in school).
Next, write down in their voices one positive memory each person will share about you at your funeral. It could be a story or just a description of an attribute.
Focus on the positive. Don't invite haters to your funeral. Really feel the positive sentiments and enjoy the warmth they create.
I read this weird little exercise in Richard Wiseman's 59 Seconds. It's highly recommended if you'd like some of the scientific background behind this positivity technique.
2. All Life's Profoundest Pleasures Are Found Here
You probably already know The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost:
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
There's Mathematical Truth To Frost's Claim:
You're much more likely to live a more interesting life simply by taking alternative paths.
And the sooner the better. As we age, many of us grow more conservative. Not because getting old switches on some kind of political gene. It's because the more assets we gather, the more protective we become of them.
And the biological need to protect the status quo can be irrationally strong. So strong that people have refused to flee volcanic danger zones driven by conservative inertia (this problem relates to social inertia, which is well worth learning about).
Live Life Like It's A Gameshow
The Road Not Taken principle relates to something called The Monty Hall Problem. It refers to situations of
Published on 9 years, 2 months ago
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