Don't "Live Today Like It's Your Last"! Do this instead.

You know how people say, “Live today like it’s your last”? They’ve got it all wrong. Instead, live today like it’s your first. 

I'll tell you what I mean.

First of all, "living today like it’s your last" sounds like a lot of paperwork to make sure things are set up the way you want. It also feels sad to me, not inspiring appreciation like I think it's supposed to. And, if you take it to mean “Take risks!”, that could include incurring a lot of credit card debt that - since it’s not really your last day - will be something you’ll have to deal with tomorrow. 

Living today like it’s your first means that you get to genuinely appreciate your life, you enjoy the meaningful things in your life, set out on a course for adventure, and bounce back from the ups and downs.

Now, I realize the actual first day of life is a lot of sleeping and some crying. But you get the idea, more like the early part of childhood where you’re new and everything is awe-inspiring.  

“Turning a page in a book? This is crazy!” “These sticks on that musical thing? ... I made that noise happen!” “Bubbles? What is this joy!?” "Look at that truck!" At that time in our lives, we tell people we love them, we tell our stuffed animals we love them, we’re full of curiosity, discovery, and simple things make us laugh. A lot! We appreciate things so much that if we don’t get the thing we want, or have to stop what we’re engrossed in, we have a meltdown because that’s how invested we are in everything.

Of course being a kid is also hard, and a few nice things about growing up is we can regulate those meltdowns, make our own decisions, and we don't always have to share. But consider this: How many times are you told as an adult to “be in the present moment”? When we start out in life that’s where we are, and we don’t have to sit and meditate to get there.  

Even with a lot of responsiblity and stress, we're talking about maximizing your time,

See, it's one thing to get more time in your life, but it's just as important to get more LIFE in your time. 

In one way, time is linear. We've got the clock and the planet moving around (and even those are cyclical!) But time also has depth. That depth is how we experience it emotionally. (Like how time flies when you're having fun and goes ridiculously slow when you're bored.)

So, if you go non-stop, and then when you do have time you use it to escape the stress with other stress like soul-sucking social media that makes you feel less-than, or hours of violent-angry TV that activates emotions of danger, peril, and hopelessness, you might logistically have more time, but you’re wasting your time.

Here's what to do to put more life in your life-time:

Today: Notice everything that doesn't stress you. Notice coincidences, people who are nice to you, and things that are funny. Do it as you go. Doesn't require anything but your attention. For example, I could be rushing to get something done but I still get a kick out of inanimate objects doing their own thing; like when a glass slides a little by itself because it's on a wet surface. Or how a loop on my pajama pants always somehow catches on the drawer handle in the kitchen while I'm making breakfast and opens the drawer when I go to walk away. 

I'm not suggesting you “stop and smell the roses” because that’s not sustainable. (And whoever said that -- are they the same people who said “life is too short”? -- Because how can you “stop and smell the roses” when “life is too short”?!!!) 

I'm suggesting instead of a general, repeated "I'm so stressed" "Things are crazy" fogging up the day, notice moments that are working .

Life is a series of those moments. A bunch of experiences. A lot of trial and error, a lot of growing, and if you’re experiencing today like it’s your first, quiet moments of "wow". And snacks. Snacks are everything no matter how old you are.