“We have two lives.  And the second begins when we realise we only have one” - Confucius

I came across this quote during the summer of 2021.

I was on my six month sabbatical from my banking job at Lloyds Bank, during my peak “what do I want to do with my life?” pondering.

At first I found this quote a bit - how shall I say this? - “confuc-ing”.

But after a while the quote started to hit home.

And it dawned on me:

I was living my life as if it would go on forever.

Take my career in banking as an example. 

I’d ignored the pull to quit my job for years.  I always thought there’d be time in the future to pivot towards more interesting, fulfilling and authentic activities.  And I didn’t feel any urgency to make a change.

But the more I saw the truth of this Confucius quote, the less true that started to look.

That’s not to say the dawning realisation of my own mortality was the only factor in deciding to quit my job.  It wasn’t like I felt the grim reaper hovering over me, sharpening his scythe and ready to pounce.

But realising that I really do only have one shot at life and that if I wasn’t going to quit my job during my sabbatical I’d probably never quit it was certainly a factor in deciding to hand in my notice.

Reading an article by The Guardian about the top 5 regrets of the dying was a factor too. 

The top regret, according to this article?

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself”

This put things into more focus too.

More & more I started to see that if I didn’t take the bull by the horns and seize life by the scruff of its neck, at some point I’d go the way of the dinosaurs and I wouldn’t get another chance.

Nowadays I view our lives like juicy green apples. 

They’re to be savoured, relished and enjoyed.

But they also come with an inborn maggot.  There’s no escaping it.  And the maggot is burrowing around & gnawing away and could, at any point, gobble up the last piece of that ripe and juicy apple before we’ve had the chance to take whatever bites we want to take for ourselves.

So it pays to relish, savour and enjoy our lives while we can.

This may sound morbid or rather over the top.

But sometimes I wonder where on earth the last 20 years of my life have gone. 

They seem to have flashed by in an instant and I’m increasingly seeing that old Father Time is tick, tick, ticking away. 

Now that I’m the wrong side of 30 (with 40 rapidly on the horizon) I’ve noticed niggles in my knees and aches in my back which simply weren’t there when I was a fresh-faced, eager beaver graduate entering the world of corporate banking at the tender age of 22.

A few grey hairs have started appearing in my unruly beard too.

And I bought a pair of glasses a couple of months ago for the first time ever after a long overdue visit to the optician.

All these are signs that I am very much a mortal being and I won’t be around forever.

And they’re all reminders that if I want to write a book, pick up a new hobby, try living abroad or simply find more freedom & fulfilment at work and in life then I sure as hell better get on with it.

Because at some point I’ll be pushing up daisies and there’ll be nothing left to get on with.

Anyway, I’m not trying to be gloomy.

But I am trying to instil the idea that if you wait around to make a change or to start living into your dreams, you might find that you’ve waited too long and you never get the chance.  

And every single one of us has dreams we're saving for a rainy day.

If and when you do decide that there’s more you want to go after, keep my coaching in mind.

In some respects, my coaching is tailor-made for those who’ve decided it’s time to start living their best life and want some help putting those wheels in motion.

It is, by its very nature, a way to come more alive and turn your dreams into reality.

If you’re interested:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

 - Tom