I don’t know about everyone else, but there seem to be a lot of people around me dying lately. It’s this very idea that has become one of my biggest motivators of late, and it can do the same for you. Death comes when you least expect it, and it’s relentless in the way that it touches our lives.

Recently, one of my work colleagues was sitting down having lunch with his mum. Halfway through the meal, she was talking and couldn’t speak all of a sudden. Within minutes, an ambulance arrived, and within hours, she had passed away. She was perfectly healthy and had no signs of anything like this happening. It was a stroke that tragically ended her life and the life of a grandmother.

A year earlier, the same thing happened to my aunt. She was just going about her day, perfectly healthy, and then in less than twenty-four hours a stroke took her life away. There is no logic to any of these random acts of death, other than one inescapable truth; we all need to come to grips with the fact that life and death go hand in hand.

When death strikes it shouldn’t come as a shock but rather an expectation. It shouldn’t come as a tragedy but rather a celebration. So your thinking to yourself right now in this moment “Tim what’s inspiring about all of this?”

What’s inspiring is that you can let death be your biggest motivator. Here are the four reasons why.

1. It should remind you to live fearlessly and in the moment

We spend a large proportion of our life suffering from fear. In my life, I have feared lots of different things and each time that fear has ended up becoming a triumph. This is why when we look at death we need to live fearlessly. It’s unavoidable, and it happens to all of us.

Death reminds us of the most important rule of meditation: to live in the moment. We can’t control what has already happened or to some degree what may happen in the future (although we can plant seeds now that can allow our future to blossom).

Living in the moment and being grateful for what we do have is what will enable us to live fearlessly. Pretending that death doesn’t exist or that we should fear it in some way will never allow us to be successful. Don’t let the concept of death use you but instead use it to motivate you for the here and now.

2. It should create a sense of urgency

The one piece of motivation we all need is to have more urgency about our lives. Many of us live as if time is irrelevant and that we are immortal. Worse still, we live as though some person in the distant future is going to cure all medical illness and allow us to live forever.

Medicine will continue to evolve in the future, but it will not stop death in any way. Instead, think of death as a way to motivate yourself to get more out of every day. Allow death to make you think about why your energy levels are so important.

“Your energy levels are the multiplier of time” – Tim Denning

The more energy you have, the less you need to sleep and, therefore, the more awake time you will have to work on your dream and crush your goals (such a great motivation).

If you have been thinking about changing jobs or becoming an entrepreneur why wait? Given the two stories I have presented about strokes occurring, what makes you think any of us immune? If anything, the western way of living has made a lot of us have much less time on this earth, not more.

Use death as your motive for action and as a tool that can allow you to impact and inspire others sooner. Don’t focus on it in a negative way but in a way that will empower you to be more and to become who you have always wanted to be.

Stop settling for second best because you may not have the time in your life to ever get what you want. For the younger people out there, enjoy your teenage and early adult life and spend as much time as you can exploring.

Travel to as many destinations as you can and see what real beauty is out in the world. Meet new people from other cultures and see how the poorest parts in the world live. Have more urgency about what you do and don’t forget to live in the moment.

3. It should make you remember to love everyone else and love them why they are here

Too often we forget to love everyone around us and we are too busy judging. Let death be the motivation to connect with more people right now and to love them for who they are. Let death make you forget the differences between our varied cultures and only remind you to love others equally.

The people you currently love should never be taken for granted. At any stage, like with the two stroke victims I mentioned, they could be taken away from you without any chance to say goodbye. Don’t let this make you sad but let it motivate you to love them even more and spend the time you have with them in a meaningful way.

4. It should remind you of your purpose

At each of the recent funerals I have attended, I take careful note as to how the person who has passed is remembered. I let these funerals remind me not to be one of those people that are spoken about for a few hours after they are buried and then quickly forgotten by the majority of attendees.

Instead, I let the funeral and the deceased person remind of my purpose and to reset my motivation each time. It’s so easy to be distracted in life with our newly shortened attention spans. Death can help you refocus on your vision and remember why you do what you do.

It can help you think about what impact you want to have and how you want others to talk about you when you’re gone. On these somber days, all the money or lack of money is forgotten, and no one speaks of such a word. Very quickly, we are reminded just how insignificant money can be in the long term. Just remember that only your impact and influence are eternal.

***Final Thought***

Remember there is only one of you and that each of us is special in our own unique way. I appreciate every one of you coming to Addicted2Success to be inspired and get practical advice. All I ask is that you pay it forward and do the same for others while you’re on this earth.

Be the light in someone else’s day during their darkest moment. Be the smile that may be that spark a homeless person needs to turn their life around. Send chills down people’s spine with your unique craft and creative side.

If you ever want to chat, then you know where to find me. Much love and much respect, and always stay Addicted 2 Success!