No one likes to think about their mortality. It’s easy to think that we have lots of time left. And maybe that’s why we get bogged down by the ‘Tomorrow Syndrome.’ Because we think tomorrow is guaranteed, we tell ourselves, I’ll start my business tomorrow. Or, I’ll have time when I retire to travel more. Or, Next week I’ll get back to the gym regularly. Who told you that you’d be here tomorrow? All I know is this: I’m going to be dead soon.
Bet on Today
When I say, “I’m going to be dead soon,” I hope that it’s in another forty or fifty years. Because I still have a lot that I want to accomplish. But as I was on the train on my way to work one day, I was chastising myself (again) for not getting as much done as I could. Because I’m still struggling with distractions. Yes, I’m still reaching for my phone…even though I told myself I wouldn’t. I’m still stopping in the middle of a task to do something that pops into my mind, and then unable to get back into the flow of what I was working on.
Remembering I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. – Steve Jobs
As I work on my dreams and goals, what I’m realizing is that I’m too focused on the end result. Because it feels too far away, and it doesn’t always feel like I’m making progress, that’s when procrastination creeps in. It’s better if I bet on today and do the things—no matter how I feel or my level of motivation—that need to get done. And I’m trying to be better about that because…I’m going to be dead soon.
The Art of Discipline
Yes, if I want to accomplish anything in life, I have to show up and put in the work. That’s a key component on the road to success. But it’s also important to understand how we’re spending our time. And when I’m honest with myself, I’ve been lacking discipline and that’s why I feel that, in a lot of ways, I’m both stalled and overwhelmed.
There are different views on discipline. Some see it as a help while for others it’s a hindrance to their productivity and the achievement of their goals. Perhaps it comes down to how we define it. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how Steven Bartlett conceives of discipline in his book, The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life: “[…] discipline is the ongoing commitment to pursuing a goal, independent of fluctuating motivation levels, by consistently exercising self-control, delayed gratification and perseverance.”1
I’m Going to Be Dead Soon
Because I’m going to be dead soon, I’m trying to get back to that kind of daily discipline—where I’m showing up no matter how I feel, with the self-control and persistence necessary to pursue my goals. No waiting. No putting things off until tomorrow. That is the way for me to live a fulfilling, purpose-driven life.
- Bartlett, S. (2023). The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life, Portfolio/Penguin, p. 273. [↩]
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