Life is Too Short

You've heard the phrase before, "life is too short." The average life expectancy for a man born in 2000 is 74.1 years. A woman born in the year 200 can expect to live 79 years. By those standards, life isn't exactly short, but it is too short for many things.

Life is too short to mire yourself in worry. Worrying about something is not going to change it; action will. Not too mention that worry is really just a form of stress and stress kills. Being stressed can cause your immunity to be reduced, a rise in blood pressure and various other symptoms from nausea and fatigue, to anorexia and nightmares.

Life is too short to stay involved in something you hate. We are taught from our earliest years not to be quitters and it is a good lesson. Always finish what you start. It is great advice until you are ensconced in a situation that makes you want to cry every time you think about it. Maybe you are in a club, even an officer in that club, but the thought of going to a meeting absolutely throws you into a tizzy. Why can you not gracefully remove yourself from the situation, giving a polite excuse as to why you cannot go on? Is that position more important than your sanity?

Life is too short to put off doing all the things you want to do. Maybe you want to go to college or Disneyworld, or maybe you want to try out for American Idol. What is stopping you? Do it all while you can, while you are still physically able. Letting everyday life get in the way of what you really want will only leave you regretting what you never got around to doing. That brings me to the point that life is too short to live with regrets.

Life is too short to live in fear. I know this because for many years I lived in fear, suffering from debilitating panic attacks. For a short time I was unable even to leave my house. I had to make myself do the things I was afraid of because I realized that my fear was not only crippling me, but also crippling those around me. Fears must be faced and overcome before they take over your life.

Life is too short to be unhappy. Bad marriages, bad relationships, bad jobs- don't stay because you think you have too. You are staying in your marriage for your children's sake. Why? Is it healthy for them to see you miserable and unhappy, thinking that is how life is? Why are you staying in a bad relationship? Don't be afraid to be alone. You can live on your own without a partner. Sometimes solitude is the answer to a lot of problems. Use the time alone to reflect on how you ended up in that relationship and how you can avoid making the same mistake again. Do you hate your boss? Find another job. Sure, you need to make money to live, but you don't have to be trapped in a nightmare job to make an income.

Hopefully, we all have those 79 years plus some on this Earth, and if we do then we shouldn't be living them with fear, regret or unhappiness. We should all live for today and let tomorrow take care of itself.