A few summers ago, a friend of mine died in a boating accident. I didn't know him for long.
Read MoreThe Kickass Guide to Answering "How's Life?"
I often feel disappointed with my answer. It's such a great opportunity and I'm thrown off, every time.
Read MoreHow to Conquer The World That's Against You
Can you fight off seven billion?
I know I can't. Sometimes it's hard enough just to roll out of bed and scramble some eggs.
The hard truth to swallow is the world is working against you. It's not malicious or brooding, hiding around every corner to stick it's big, fat foot out, but it is so complex, it doesn't care at all what you want to do.
Read MoreClose the Weekend Void
The weekend is not for nothing.
You're happy it's Friday, you're ready to get down. But you have zero plans. You know there are options. You're hoping your friends will mix with booze and the world will become your oyster. And it is! But what to do, what to do?
Read MoreThe Daily Practice of Accepting Death
Of all the thoughts that bounce around our skulls each day, death is rarely one of them. There has never been a safer time to be alive.
And still, it's right there, always.
In his new book, Show Your Work!, Austin Kleon recommends the daily practice of reading obituaries. Kleon explains:
“Obituaries are like near-death experiences for cowards.”
You don't have to go looking for trouble to practice realizing the terrifying truth that this will end. Meditate on it enough and it should be your guide.
“Samurais trained relentlessly. They strongly believed you should always “be prepared” (they were like the deadliest Boy Scouts imaginable.)”
This is the strategy of the samurai. Business Insider blogger Eric Barker recently questioned what made ancient samurais so cool with death being in their job description. The answer: control. Meditating on the ultimate possibility of being stabbed in battle gave them clarity and purpose. They didn't need to distract or busy themselves with thoughts about all the dangers. They just fought.
It wasn't a matter of life or death when Michael Phelps hit the water, but the same idea applies when he swam in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, wrote that Phelps was so ingrained in his process that he was prepared for any scenario. And when water filled Phelps' goggles halfway through the 200-meter butterfly race, he was able to keep calm and carry on, blindly swimming to victory, another gold medal and a world record.
You need to quiet your mind from the destructiveness of your own thoughts. If you can calmly comprehend the worst case scenario and prepare for it, there is no reason to panic. Yes, you will fail and, yes, you will die. If you can remind yourself of that, you'll have the inspiration to live without fear stalling or freezing you.
Of course, it's all in how you accept it. I wrote an obituary for myself in an undergraduate journalism class and it was crushing. I was too young to feel like I accomplished anything and death would have meant ultimate failure. Life felt reduced to a paragraph.
With death as the backdrop, the all-important questions of life can be answered every day when you take action. Waking up to know it could end means you can cherish every breath, e-mail, hug, or beer. You have a plan of action when shit goes down. You're always ready to spring into sword-wielding, blind-swimming action.
If you get one life to live and one obituary to sum up your days, what do you want it to say?