Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] What if this was your last cup of coffee ever?
[00:00:06] Would you drink it differently Today we have the letter D which stands for the cheerful topic of death. Death is a topic which is rarely talked about or thought about. It is natural. Nobody wants to think about death because is the great unknown and we are not meant to drown in sorrow about our mortality. However, we should carve out some time to realize that death is ultimately inevitable. Not to be scared, depressed or miserable. On the contrary, to realize that we really should profit from every day, seize the opportunities and appreciate every little thing we have at this moment. I'm sure you've heard this before and on the daily I will agree with you that it's not always easy. Bills pile up and routines grind us down. And then there is the Internet and rage bait, for example. You know what I mean. Those posts designed to make you angry to pull you into the endless comment wars. So here comes our first exercise for your mental well being. When you stumble upon something on the Internet that enrages you because, for example, you hate people wasting food, or when they destroy beautiful houses with their improvements, or because you can't bear somebody seemingly being so stupid, ask yourself, is this worth my precious time here on earth? Usually the answer is no, especially because 9.9 times out of 10 your reaction is exactly what the people who are posting this desire. So scroll on and let me know. Which kind of bait did you avoid? This way. Another good exercise which will be very well combined with the clickbait fate one is the one that I call the last breath. Some people, such as my husband call it morbid, but it does make a big difference to me. So I want to share it and you will let me know what you think before you take your next breath. Close your eyes and imagine that it's the last one, because it might just as well be. Try it and let me know what it does for you. And then whenever you get lost in every day, stop yourself. It will just take you, you know, one breath. Get back to it. It's pretty grounding and puts things into perspective. Then go and hug somebody or something you love yourself, for example. One more exercise for your well being for this week is changing your point of view. With the risk of sounding gloomy, I will claim that all of us experience death in one way or another. Even if you have not experienced loss of somebody close to you, good for you. You have experienced death or ending for sure. In fact, you experience it every day. Today will end and never repeat itself again. So in a way it's Dead. Whether it is this kind of ending or the actual fact of somebody dying, we will try this exercise, which has been life changing for me. It started like this. One day I was pondering about gratitude because I'm a big fan and we will get to it, of course at one stage, but at the topic of death, I got kind of stuck because what can you be grateful for if something like this happens? If somebody dies, somebody you loved, and you know, you end up feeling terrible about it, clearly. So what's to be grateful for in this situation? And this is where the change of point of view comes in. There's always pain and darkness and suffering. And at the beginning is very hard to see through the darkness, of course. But shifting your point of view might not only ease the pain, but also honor the person that you're missing. So much, much better. So the exercise goes like this. Think about the things that happened before the end. You think about the good times, about all the time that you got to spend with that person. Might have been short, granted, too short. However, it was real, it was there, and it is something to be grateful for and happy about. You can start practicing on things which are small before you work your way up to the big and heavy topics. But the training will pay off. And it's never too late or too early to start practicing seeing things in a good way. Then there is one more practice inspired by death. It's a little wordplay. I personally really don't buy into this. You need to say things in a certain way, you shouldn't say things in a negative way. Blah, blah. I truly believe that it's the thought thought that matters. However, death inspired me here. So hear me out. Try to replace every I have to with I get to or even I'm blessed to if you feel enlightened enough. Because if you consider every I have to in the light of the omnipresent lady death, you will quickly realize that you are in fact rather blessed too. Here is an example. I have to drive my kids to the grandparents.
[00:05:56] Ha.
[00:05:57] I will stop you right there. First of all, you have kids. Not everybody is blessed to have kids and they would love to. Then you have grandparents that want to spend time with your kids. You have a car or another means of transportation to get your kids where you want them to be. Because ultimately you absolutely do not have to take your kids to the grandparents. You even don't have to take them to school. It's all your choice. As long as you are willing to accept the consequences. It is all your choice. And just like that, with a little wordplay, an annoyed I have to turns into a gratitude and empowerment exercise and a confirmed privilege. You are welcome, master of your life who is grateful for all your gifts and achievements. Let me know which chore did you turn into privilege in your mind? Be a dear and inspire others. This will be all for this week. Remember that death is not your enemy. It is a teacher reminding us to live fully, love deeply, and be grateful for every moment. So this week, when life feels overwhelming or someone's stupidity gets on your nerves, stop, breathe and remember this could be your last breath. Use it wisely. Save this to come back to it if you fall off the wagon and subscribe.
