Wed, 21 September 2016
It sucks to think about death, doesn’t it? You’re busy enjoying life, after all. Or are you? Admit it. It’s not always fun and games. Sometimes life really gets you down. That’s where thinking about death can be strangely uplifting. In fact, there are powerfully positive and empowering things that can happen when you put time into the notion that one day, you’re not going to be here anymore. For example, by putting your affairs into order, you can live better now because you’re free from worrying about what will happen after you die. Not enough people put time into this, leaving chaos after their demise that tears families apart. And that can make the memory of your life a bitter pill to swallow for years to come. But that’s not the direction I want to take us in. Rather, these three simple activities will make your life more memorable starting now. All you have to do is give them a try and you’ll be amazed by how they help.
1. Imagine Your Funeral
Sounds grim, I know. But once you get into it, seeing and hearing your friends, family and colleagues acknowledge your passing creates perspective and insight that can improve your happiness. This brain game is best played with pen and paper. Make a list of two friends, two family members and two colleagues (or fellow students if you’re still in school). Next, write down in their voices one positive memory each person will share about you at your funeral. It could be a story or just a description of an attribute. Focus on the positive. Don’t invite haters to your funeral. Really feel the positive sentiments and enjoy the warmth they create. I read this weird little exercise in Richard Wiseman’s 59 Seconds. It’s highly recommended if you’d like some of the scientific background behind this positivity technique.
2. All Life’s Profoundest Pleasures Are Found Here
You probably already know The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost: TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, Then took the other, as just as fair, And both that morning equally lay I shall be telling this with a sigh
There’s Mathematical Truth To Frost’s Claim:You’re much more likely to live a more interesting life simply by taking alternative paths. And the sooner the better. As we age, many of us grow more conservative. Not because getting old switches on some kind of political gene. It’s because the more assets we gather, the more protective we become of them. And the biological need to protect the status quo can be irrationally strong. So strong that people have refused to flee volcanic danger zones driven by conservative inertia (this problem relates to social inertia, which is well worth learning about).
Live Life Like It’s A Gameshow
The Road Not Taken principle relates to something called The Monty Hall Problem. It refers to situations of choice in which it is counterintuitively beneficial to change your mind. The core issue isn’t the math, however. The real point of interest is that most people will stick with their original decision despite the benefits of traveling the road not taken. I’ve seen this play out hundreds of times as a magician with a simple question that leads over 90% of people to stick with their original decision. Merely by asking people if they’d like to change their mind and even offering them handsome sums of money if they do, I create the illusion of complete and utter free will because I know that the vast majority will stick with their original decision.
When The Sane Choices In Life Are Actually Insane …
I’ve seen The Monty Hall principle play out in my personal life too. During a difficult time when I couldn’t find a university teaching gig, I applied to get high school teaching certification and did the necessary voluntary teaching in schools to qualify. As a former university professor, this is not what I wanted to do in life, but I felt driven to teach. And it was taking action, which was far better than sitting around and biting my fingernails. Then, out of the blue came the invitation to rejoin The Outside, record an album and go on tour. At that point in my career, doing something like that was insane. Nearly every person I talked with about the option agreed, and yet I knew the Monty Hall Problem and let it guide me. And the reality is that the traditional path was truly the insane one. Plus …
The Sane Choice Would Have Been |