24 Months To Live By Steven Boyd

Have you ever noticed how life has a lot of “what if” moments? As eternal beings living in temporary human bodies, we tend to over analyze things and the “what if” tends to be at the top of our mental list as we deal with everyday challenges of human existence. For today’s topic, let’s consider that a doctor had given you the hard to digest fact that you only had 24 months to live. In this decree, there was nothing that could be done to extend the time; the clock just started its final countdown to leave this body and world that we have become so accustomed to. After wrestling with the ego and all of its fears, worries, anger and rationalizations, we would eventually come to the acceptance that this is a fact. Also, we would probably want to make some changes so to make the most of our time left on this earth. 

Now, this may seem like a harsh thing to consider for some of us as it bruises the ego and causes chaos of the mind and emotions, but quite a few people get news like this every day from their doctors. Of course, the times may vary depending on the disease. Some are young, some are old. The fact is most of us don’t want to ponder this fact of life and keep ourselves so busy so we don’t have to consider such things. This is called denial and it seems to be common thread running throughout American culture. Some other countries with differing beliefs raise their young to understand that life and health is fleeting and that death is not something to be feared, but is a change from one form to another on the grand path of evolution. 

Running away into the distractions of life can be a big mistake as pondering such things can bring blessed windows of growth and opportunity for change. Many years ago, a dear friend gave me a book from a Buddhist Rinpoche. It had daily reflections on living and dying. At first, some of the reflections caused my mind and heart grief as it struck cords of fear and the “what if” about the unknown. After reading it daily for years along with prayer & meditation, it expanded my mind beyond those emotions to the vastness of eternal existence as souls who come to live & learn for a period of time, die or as I like to say “transition” into another form and world made entirely of light and eventually come back to do it again on earth. Billions of people share such a belief. 

The benefit of pondering such a thing is that for most of us, we get too comfortable in these bodies, our families, houses, friends, pets, jobs and we forget that each day is an amazing gift from our heavenly creator with no guarantees about a tomorrow. In reality, we only have one day at a time to learn and live. It’s by God’s grace alone that we and creation exist. Do you really want to take such a precious thing like this for granted? 

So my fellow readers, what if starting today you were told that you only had just 24 months to live, what would you do differently? I dare say a lot of us would make serious changes to our lives in quick order. We would reconsider what’s really important and let go of the things that were not. This may include leaving toxic relationships, quitting jobs that we can’t stand, making amends to those we’ve hurt, taking more risks as we wouldn’t let fear hold us back from doing and saying what needed to be done. 

As our minds became hyper focused on the real value of time, we would deeply appreciate life on a whole different level. I recall last year one of my friends and neighbors bragging how he was still working with one of the big auto manufactures. For him, it had been over 50s years with the company and counting. His wife was in poor health. He kept waiting for the next union raise and was going to retire but kept pushing it back year after year, wanting more money, like he needed it, which he didn’t. As he was speaking, I felt sorry for him as he was trading his most valuable asset, which is time for another paycheck. Another one of my dearest friends did the same, kept pushing back and holding on to the paycheck and the next union raise, which he didn’t need. He didn’t really like his job, the company or the people he worked with. All he really did was work, sleep and eat for many years, not enjoying the money he was making. Sadly, both died recently and weren’t able to spend any of that money to travel or enjoy life with family or friend. I see it all the time in my professional life. My father was fortunate that he retired at 49 years old. He worked for a large auto manufacturer. He didn’t hold a big job, he isn’t rich, but he and my mother are comfortable as they lead a simple and fulfilling life.

Time is the one thing we can’t buy back and so many people trade the world’s most valuable asset for money. Not even the richest and most powerful can buy back time. So, my friends, if starting today you only had 24 months to live, would you be doing things differently? If the answer is yes, you may want to begin now. Don’t fool yourself and wait for tomorrow as it may never come. You may want to recommit to seeking a relationship with God, which is the best investment a person can make, making amends to those whom you’ve mistreated, improving health, being more kind and generous to all and sharing your blessings with others. Remember, time is of the essence, so make the most it and live this life fully so that when your time to transition from this world to the next is upon you, you can leave with a smile on your face, knowing you lived a good life and have happy memories to take with you to the great beyond. 

About Steven Boyd: Steven Boyd is a writer and an aspiring yogi. During the work week, he plays the part of global director of talent management for an engineering company. Steven has been practicing yoga and meditation daily for over 30 years. He follows the spiritual path of the Self Realization Fellowship that was founded in 1920 by the Great Yogi-Guru Paramahansa Yogananda. His book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ has sold millions of copies. Steven Jobs of Apple computer was a big fan of this book.