FUTURE HUMAN
To Live a Better Life, Think About Death
Why contemplating our mortality can be a powerful catalyst for change
What would you do differently if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? When you look back before you say goodbye, what will you regret if you don’t make changes now?
Maybe you would muster the courage to quit your job or mend a broken relationship. Perhaps you would travel or finally pursue your dream to be an entrepreneur. Whatever the action, it would likely bring you closer to your authentic self.
On their deathbed, most people wish they would have had the courage to live a life true to themselves instead of trying to please others, according to Bronnie Ware, author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. In his 2005 Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs echoed the importance of contemplating tomorrow to live better today, saying:
“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
Research shows that, paradoxically, reflecting on death can be instructive for improving yourself in the present. A study by…
