We Live Then We Die

From the day we are born, we start gathering people for our funeral. I think the more people we gather the more lives we have touched. – Selahsomeone

Are you living? Because whether you are or not, death is inevitable.

We Live Then We Die

What is living? In my opinion, living is impacting because I don’t see the use of a life lived without touching other people’s life. I therefore would not measure success based on how much you have in your bank account or the value of stocks you hold or in terms of your investments or the Bitcoin you stash away or the unused cars in your garage. I believe that success is how we have been able to touch others’ lives positively.

I have seen a President died and all you have to mourn his demise were few friends and family and I have also seen a comedian died and there were crowd of over 5km bemourning the loss of a man who had touched their lives in ways words could not explain. Touching lives is not dependent on how much you have but how well you can use the little you have to put smiles on others faces or to wipe the tears off their faces.

How long do I have to live to impact? Your age is not a limiting factor nor an advantage to making impact. At 12, the Bible recorded Jesus helped at a wedding while at 900+ years all that could be said about Methuselah was that he was the oldest man to have lived. As young or old as you are you can be a positive influence, you don’t have to be mean, shroud and disgruntled. I understand life in itself isn’t easy but most who have made the best of it, did it making life easy for others.

How can I give what I don’t have? No one has everything and what you think is nothing, is all some desires. Even if it is just your warm smile, your weird jokes, your advice, your words of encouragement or words of comfort, your life touching write-up or artworks, by being your cheerful self, that spare cash in your wallet or your timely intervention for a bystander. You can touch lives in more ways than you can ever imagine. The question is, are you ready to give yourself to a greater cause? Are you ready to find happiness in making others happy? Are you ready to leave people better than you met them?

It is not enough to celebrate your birthday, whine and dine with friends and loved ones, you should also take time to reflect on what you have spent the last one year doing for yourself and for others. The celebration of life is in what you have been able to use the life you have given for, not your intentions and definitely not the fleet of cars in your garage while your neighborhood is filled with homeless kids. It is easy to say, it is not my problem, government should fix that but I think you are placed there to make the difference for those folks.

How can I have fun when I am living my life for others? Firstly, living a life of impact is not the same as living for others. When you live for others, it means you are sacrificing your happiness to put a smile on others faces. No one should be expected to do that, it is a burden no one has the right to place another. However, living a life of impact is you having fun and touching lives. Find a way to fulfil others dreams while climaxing on yours. If your dreams doesn’t impact positively on others’ way of life and advancement of humanity then there is something wrong with your dream that needs to be fixed.

Most people are ungrateful, how do I continue to impact? You are not impacting because you want people to be grateful to you. You are impacting because you want to touch lives. You are impacting because you have understood that living isn’t complete till you leave impression with most people that cross your path. You are impacting because you know breathe of life represent a higher calling to serve humanity. You are impacting because you have the knowledge that you can only live on when a part of you lives on in others. Only small minds without a clear understanding of what is at stake worry about gratitude, reciprocation and acknowledgement of the good deeds they have done because when you see the big picture, you realize there is more to impacting on others than cheap scores.

I have seen a lot to know that my life wasn’t given to me solely to make myself happy, touching lives for me isn’t optional, it is not a race, religion or status thing, it is the whole essence of living. No matter how long we live we will eventually die but then we live again in the life and achievements of others. I rather not wait to live on in one paradise when I can live on in others. I as a person, pledge to do more for others, to find my happiness in making life better for others, to ensure I leave everyone I come across better than I met them. This is a decision I have made and I hope it inspires you too, to contribute positively to humanity.