If you haven’t yet read it, please do yourself a favour and make straight for the bookstore after work. I enjoyed The Alchemist so much that I’ve vowed to read it on every Christmas holiday; it’s light and refreshing and really makes you think about the purpose of your life.

I’ve recently been reading another of his books ‘Like the Flowing River’. It’s a collection of very short stories and each has a moral and a meaning behind it. The one that I read last night was around death and the way he has come to think of it and I’d like to share Paulo Coelho’s philosophy with you today.

Paulo considers death to be a constant companion, and likens it to an angel of death sitting on his shoulder. At each moment of each day that angel could choose to take you off to the heavens, or he could choose to let you experience the beauty of the day and all that life has to offer.

If each of us takes this approach to death, that it must be a part of life, how would our lives begin to differ? Would you be sure to make every moment count and aim for a constant fulfilment of our lives?

Here are some questions I’d like you to consider today, and as you ponder them, consider that the angel of death (which is a beautiful heavenly being) is sitting on your shoulder right now.

1) If you knew you were dying next week what would you be doing right now?

2) If you treated death as a constant companion how would your life begin to change?

3) Who do you need to reconcile with before you are ready to accept that your time has come?

4) If death were inevitable how would you approach your fears?

5) What things are on your ‘to do’ list before death comes? What’s been preventing you from getting to that particular ‘to do’ list?

6) Are there really any excuses that you will be happy to take to your grave? IE, I didn’t have the money, I was always short of time, or work was more important? Think about the excuses you make and how you will feel if you are still carrying them around at the time of your passing? 

7) How are you going to truly begin to LIVE your life today? What do you need to do, see, hear or experience to make it the way you want?

Often HIV & terminal Cancer patients come to a higher level of clarity before they die, they completely accept their circumstances before they are touched by the little angel of death. I actually spoke to one HIV patient that had less than two years to live, and he said with absolute certainty that contracting HIV was the best thing that ever happened to him, it has completely changed his life and given him a quality of life that he would have never experienced on the path he was on. He has reconciled with family and is now living his life the fullest, finding joy and contentment in each moment. He figures that three amazing years of living are often more than many people have when they pass at 80 years of age. He is doing the things that he never thought possible as he now has faced his highest fear and see’s life as ‘worth living’. What a remarkable attitude to have in such challenging circumstances.

We have a choice to make today, we can continue to live our fast paced lives and believe that somehow we are immune to the little angel of death that is constantly watching over us. Or we could take on board that today may just be our last day on earth, that we MUST make the most of each day and each moment if we are to truly live our lives!

People aren’t afraid of dying.
They are afraid of dying without having lived!

You have the option to live right now!!!

 If you’re really ready to start living your life to the fullest and need some support in stepping up and facing your challenges, please email me at Jodie@advancedcoachingsolutions.com.au for a 1 hour free introductory life coaching session and we can work on it together.