Three years ago I lost a dear colleague of mine. Laura was a person full of energy, with whom I would think, imagine various business scenarios; when I had new ideas, I would call her and we would debate them together, even if it was Saturday, Sunday, vacation, day off. She would do the same and as such we were fine.
She suddenly became ill and left us in less than a month from the moment she was hospitalized.
I often hear people complaining about how hard it is to sit on a chair, to walk in the sun, to turn 30 or 40 years old, that their first white hair appeared, that they do not possess the same strength they had at the age of 20, that they gained 3-4 kilograms.
And then I think that some did not even get the chance to turn 40; did not get the chance to have white hair.
I have a friend who went through many hardships in life; too many for a human. Even so, when he goes through a difficult time, he says: ‘well, it will pass, as long as we are fine’. His power to support himself, to come out of a negative thought always amazes me.
I read somewhere that, in fact, our brain is programmed to think negatively; and that is good, it helped us avoid dangers throughout the years.
However, it is equally important to see the bright side of ourselves, of others, of the world, of life. This entails personal strength, will, discipline, determination to set out on the paths that are good for us.
I hope that you watched the movie La Vita e Bella. If not, I recommend it. Here is a link to a superb scene.
If you (re)watched the scene, think about what you would do to make the next period of your life have meaning, to spend it the way you would like.
During one of our courses, we had an exercise: the trainer gives the participants a paper ruler. The participants then have to tear it from the number corresponding to their age and to keep the piece from their age number to the median life expectancy in Romania.
It is a classic exercise, I know. Many are shocked when they do this exercise. They realise that in fact there is not a lot of time left. And yet, I wonder, how many change something.
It is difficult to muster the courage to start, to get out from our lethargy, inertia, apathy, or whatever you want to call it.
It is good to think long term, to have patience, to plan things. But maybe it is better to be more daring, to risk, to stop postponing certain things. ‘Carpe diem’, at least from time to time☺️.