How to Live

I recently saw a report on what people are afraid of in life. Obviously dying was near the top of the list. That is understandable. Truth be told, I'm not in a hurry to take that trip myself, but I know it is coming.

Want to know what I am even more afraid of than dying? Here it is: Not Really Living.

I am more afraid of not really living than I am of dying. So of course, knowing me that made me wonder why that is? And I think it's for a couple of reasons:

One, there is nothing you can do about the fact that you are going to die someday. It is something we all have to accept.

Two, there is something you can do about how you live.

Jim Rohn, one of my mentors, says that everyone has to experience pain: Either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The very last pain I want to experience in my life is the pain of regret. I don't want to get to the end of my life and say, "I wish I would have …"

No, I want to REALLY live. How do you do that? Here are a few thoughts on how to REALLY live:

1. Decide what you want to accomplish in life. Write down 100 things you want to do, places you want to visit, etc.

2. Get used to the idea of taking risks. Nobody really lives unless they take risks. Playing it safe will get you through life, but it won't let you really live.

3. Laugh. The people I know who are most successful in life are people who have a great sense of humor.

4. Do something crazy. Do something no one expects you to. Say something no one expects you to say. Leave people astonished sometimes.

5. Live with integrity. That will keep you from crashing and burning along the road. That's never fun.

6. Give more than you receive. Be a person that others see as a generous, "go-too" guy in time of need.

7. Take your vacation. Seems simple but too many people don't even take the vacation they have earned and deserve.

8. Dream BIG! Let others have the tiny dreams and limp through life. As the saying goes: Go BIG or go home!

C'mon my friends, lets you and I REALLY LIVE from here on out. Let's commit to making a big difference in the lives of those around us.

And in the end, even though you will have to check out eventually, you will look back on your life and say, "Boy, I really did this life right!"

-- Chris Widener