My Biggest fear — Death.
“Say YES to life. Say YES to living your best life.”
Have you ever feared something with every fibre in your body? Your heart starts racing and your body trembles as your mind explores everything that could possibly go wrong.
Fear is a feeling created in a response to a perceived danger. Three (3) years ago I read somewhere that “If you live each day as if it was your last, some day you’ll most certainly be right.” It was the scariest thought for me — my biggest fear immediately became death.
After revealing my new found fear to my mentor, he said “what should scare us most about fear isn’t how it makes us feel, but how it tricks us into denying ourselves the things we want most”. This resonated with me. I realized I wasn’t fearful of death — I feared living an un-lived life.
From there I decided that on the day I stand on the helm of my destiny, I will find consolidation that I gave life my best shot. And here are the 3 guiding tips I use to guide my life to this day.
1- Your decisions are defining your destiny.
I’ve realized how important it is to become very deliberate about where and with whom you are spending your time. Time is a limited resource — every time you say YES to something, you’re effectively saying NO to something else, which are often things we very much want to do.
My personal mission became to positively impact the most number of people with the limited time/energy I have. So my priority is leveraging relationships and partnerships that makes this simple.
2 - This is your one shot. Embrace the uncertainty.
Last week one of my pals Daniel asked our roomie and I “If you could relive high school again, what would you do differently?”. Music to my ears! I had it all figured out, the strategy to win at high school. But I realized a few hours later— this will never be the case.
After all, How many lives do we have left? 0. We cant rewind our lives, technically our ONLY option is making this shot count ; and that is by embracing the uncomfortable actions we need to take.
Don’t be afraid of NOs! Don’t let the minor setbacks and disappointments deter your spirit or hold you back. Stop making excuses to not pursue your goals. Putting your best life forwards means giving the meaningful things in your life your all and doing the best at it. Never settle for mediocrity.
Sometimes the risks in uncertainty are worth taking. When you realize the worst thing that could probably happen in this life is death, you’ll appreciate that most things that are kinda scary are not too bad.
3. Don’t tap out too early.
Imagine you’ve spent the past 6 months training to run your first marathon. The big day arrives and you’re at the 20 mile mark. You’re running on guts. You’re delirious. Your muscles twitch. Your begins to give up.
Guess what’s not an option? Stopping. Giving in to the pressure. Tapping out too early. Don’t give in to the pressure. Don’t tap out too early. Don’t worry about the guy crossing the finishing line thirty (30) minutes before you will. True victory is paid for in sweat, courage, preparation and pushing through until the end.
The people who live an un-lived life tapped out too early. They gave up on their desire to do more and become the best versions of themselves. If I didn’t make it any clearer up top, You’re gonna DIE! Don’t let your life end before you emerge as the winner.
What’s one fear that’s stopping you from taking that next big move in your life? Shoot me an email ( jadan@jadanjohnson.com ) with your fears.
I also want to get into the habit of writing more often. 2017 was an eye opening year for me. I’ve learnt so much and I’m excited to share these lessons.
