There is no stronger instinct in the human body than the desire to survive at all costs. At our most primitive level, we desire more than anything else to live a long time – actually, to live forever.

And so we strive to do so – investing enormous amounts of resources to ensure we have enough resources, and enormous amounts of time to somehow give us more time. We go to the gym, we eat right, we make sure to rest when we are tired, we go to church or meditate or “have fun” when we are stressed out, we build a circle of friends (&/or buy health insurance) to care for us today, and we search for a partner (&/or open an IRA account) who can take care of us when we are older.

All fine and good, I guess … It is good to respect your body by eating high quality foods and resting regularly and remaining fit. It is good to respect your mind by either calming or entertaining yourself when mentally frazzled. And it is good to have fellowship with friends &/or the Love of a partner.

And yet, if we are doing these things for ourselves, we lose most of the benefit that they could be bringing us. If we do them from a sense of fear – to somehow prolong our lives because we are afraid to die, or to make our lives more pleasurable because we are afraid of pain, then these very practices that make our lives longer will also make them essentially meaningless.

So what is the solution?

How can we move away from a self-centered addiction to longevity and towards a vibrant living of our lives?

Each of you will have to approach this challenge in a unique manner suited to your unique lives, of course, and yet there are a few general tips that might help you get started …

TIP #01 — ACCEPT YOUR MORTALITY … No matter how healthy you get and no matter how many years you can “extend your life”, you will be dying at some point. And this thought is not “morbid” or “dark” or “pessimistic” – this thought is the simple Truth. Granted, it is an uncomfortable Truth – one which most folks choose to actively ignore day in and day out, and yet Truth it remains. And you will never be free from any of your addictions until you can embrace this Truth — and then Live Strong anyway.

As soon as you can wake up in the morning and realize your mortality with absolute clarity – as soon as you can set forth each morning realizing that “this day might very well be my last, and I am going to live accordingly”, you cannot be truly Alive. And once you choose to start each day in this fashion, every day will brighten for you – you will see opportunities to Care that you missed before, you will pause more often to look in wonderment at the Beauty that surrounds you, and you will strive to do at least one Kind Deed a day – at least one thing that day that truly makes a difference.

“Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which one can die.” ~ unknown

TIP #02 – SAY “YES!” TO ALL REQUESTS … So often during the course of our everyday routines, we are asked to do small favors for others. Sometimes the asking is direct (“Can you hold the elevator door?” or “Can you spare some change?”) and sometimes it is silent — like the mother with the crying baby right behind you in the supermarket checkout line “asking” to move in front of you, or the sad stranger you pass by who is “asking” for a smile, or the thirsty mouse who just wants a sip of your water (see image).

Sometimes the asking is for things like these that are easy to provide, and other times the requests are for things that inconvenience us – requests made that would costs us a lot of money when we are “too broke”, a lot of energy when we are “too tired”, &/or a lot of time when we are “too busy”.

And so we neglect to do those deeds – we tell ourselves that we will simply “give another day” – that we can afford to “wait for a better time” – that we will continue to take care of ourselves first, in the hopes of one day being in a “good enough place” to reach out to others.

Well, my Friends, there is no guarantee that “another day” will come, and there certainly is never a “better time” to give to someone that right Now.

We have been given this life NOT to live it as long and as comfortably as possible. We have given this life to Give – everything we have , in every moment we have been asked to give it.

Remember this Truth today by simply adding “Yes!” to your vocabulary,

… and thereby adding Love to your Life.

“I have prepared for my death all of my life by the life I have lived.” ~ Socrates

“Learn as if you are going to live forever & live as if you are going to die tomorrow. Talk less and do more — and when you play, play Tall.” ~ John Wooden

TIP #03 – START RIGHT NOW … It is not enough for you to read these posts on addiction and ponder them for awhile, and it is not enough to make plans to engage them “someday soon”. Your life will blossom into great Joy only once you choose to Live your Life differently; once you choose to make your life a Journey of Service instead of a collection plate of comfort.

And there is no need to wait — there is nothing you need to have to get started — there is nothing you need to learn and nothing for which you need to prepare.

All you need to own is a smile, all you need to give is your open arms, all you need to have in mind is a Love for others that is courageous and Kind …

… and all you need to DO is to go forth TODAY and get started with your Living – with Living as if today might be the very last day you have.

After all, it very well might be …

“I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than be stifled like dry rot. I would rather be a meteor; every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. Man’s chief purpose is to live, not to merely exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” ~ Jack London

“My life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can … For the more I serve, the more I live. Life is a sort of splendid torch which I hold for but a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on.” ~ George Bernard Shaw