'Skid in sideways'

Have you heard the life motto that made the email forward rounds a year or two ago? It goes something like this: "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, 'Woo hoo! What a ride!'"

What images that conjures in my mind. Wow. I love strawberries, but I might even substitute chocolate—which I've also seen in a similar email forward!

In any case, the point is living life to the fullest, isn't it? When I think back on some of the difficult years in a job atmosphere that I didn't find healthy, I realize that I was doing more than a little coasting through life—or worse, even sleepwalking through some of it. What a waste of the hours and days I've been given on this earth.

Now I try to stay awake and aware of what's around me, to savor my moments and, as the saying goes, to "suck all the juice I can from the life I have." There's not a lot of pleasure or contentment to be had from simply going through the motions. If that's where you find yourself today, reflect on what it would take to get to the place where you could scream, "Woo hoo! What a ride!" Take one action today to get there.

And please contact me if you want to talk about creating a bridge from sleepwalking through life to living it fully.