Success Story Season 1 Episode 26 – Lifetime in a Day

Dr. Aditi Nerurkar recently appeared on The Diary of a CEO and it was an interesting conversation centered around stress and how our society is terrible at dealing with it (no surprise there), but what stood out to for me and gave me one of my lifechanging AHA moments was when she laid out her six-step guide on how to live a lifetime in a day. 

Now, I love abstract ideas, I do. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’d punch anyone who told me you should live every day of your life like it was your last. Like buddy? In what world do I get to sit in my bed, stuffing my face with ice cream and pizza, and obsessing over TV shows every single day of my life? Are you going to pay my bills? Are you going to make sure my 10986 dreams and goals become reality? ARE YOU? 

Because guess what, the last thing I’d want to be doing on my last day is WORK. 

And to all the people that think that if you had the career that you loved, everyday would be a nice, cozy vacation in the Bahamas. Well I got something to tell you, it most definitely won’t. For example, I absolutely love writing; I love it so much it brings this big, goofy smile to my face that creeps my family out. But do I love proofreading and re-editing the same 500 words ten times? No! It makes me sick to my stomach. But do I have to do it anyway? Uh, Yes. We will always have to do things we don’t like to get results we do like. 

All this to say, that yes we deserve to have a good time before we die, so we can close those beautiful eyes with no regret. But we don’t have the luxury to be able to block it into our calendars because who knows when our time comes? 

So, Madiha, enough with the cribbing, what’s my solution? 

I’m so glad you asked. 

Dr. Aditi calls it her ‘live a lifetime in a day’ framework. It’s where you have a list of six things that if you can hit on the daily, she guarantees you’ll leave this world satisfied, or at least go to bed satisfied. So, what are those six things? 

1. CHILDHOOD 

This is where you do something every day that nourishes the child inside you. Examples could be I don’t know, running around the house, playing games with your siblings/friends, doodling, annoying your parents, you get the drift; basically anything that reminds you of your childhood and makes that kid happy. 

2. WORK 

This is pretty self-explanatory. This is where we go-getters, well, we go get. It can include your 9 to 5, your side-hustles, and anything else that relates to those worldly goals and pays them bills. 

3. SOLITUDE 

I love this the most, because it shows you just how important learning to be alone without being lonely is. You need to actively carve out time to be alone. Say no to people because you haven’t carve out time to be alone. Say no to people because you haven’t hit that solitude on your list yet, that’s how life-changing spending time with yourself is. And this doesn’t mean you never hang out with friends or family again if you’ve got a busy schedule, just means that blocking out those ten minutes to be by yourself is a priority too. And this can be done in the form a short meditation, walk, or even a good blankly staring at the wall. The world is your oyster. 

4. VACATION 

What would you do if you were on a vacation right now? I’d probably read, explore, and my favourite thing: talk to people. And maybe write. Yeah, I’d definitely write. What would you do? When you’re done deciding, make sure you take out at least ten minutes to do it in your day. 

5. FAMILY 

Yes, family >>>. Most people have a rule where they always sit together to have dinner. My family is not one of them. We all eat dinner at different times and places, but afterwards, usually when all of us are done with work, my mom and dad come out of their room, and sit in the sitting area placed smack dab in the middle of our house so there’s no chance you can miss them. Believe me, they know how to get attention. And I might not always like it, but I really love them for it. Because it has taught me just how important it is to have those few minutes to talk to your family. So, if this isn’t a thing at your house, I suggest you take a page out of my parent’s book and be that annoying siren in the middle of the house that gets everyone out of their caves. 

6. RETIREMENT 

Okay so this is a tough one. How do you differentiate between retirement and a vacation? Because honestly when most of us think retirement, we picture ourselves sunbathing with a cold beverage in our hands. But retirement, unlike vacation, is more about picking up that passion project that you couldn’t give time to while you worked your main hustle the rest of your life. I’ve always dreamed of retiring to a peaceful house in the mountains where the surrounding population is in the two digits, spending all my time writing my stories. So, that’s what I’m going to carve out time to do every day, write. I already do this though, so I know just how powerful this can be. 

And voila! That’s your recipe on how to live a lifetime in a day. Try it, feel free to reach out and let me know how it worked out for you. I personally only hit like four of these on the daily, that too not consistently, so it’ll be fun to see how actively prioritizing them changes my life. 

I would probably add in something for health on this list too, but I bet all you self-loving people already know to do that. 

So, now you actually know what ‘live everyday like it’s your last’ truly should look like.

Don’t live every day as if it were your last. Live every day as if it were your first.” — Paulo Coelho 

I’ll see you next week my friend, till then, live your lifetime a few times.

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