Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

     "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
     Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

     A small section from Steve Jobs' commencement address in Stanford University on June 12, 2005. You can find the rest of it here.

     Any time when I feel distraught or depressed about my future, I either watch the video or read the transcript of this speech. And every single time it reminds me that life's too short to fret our disappointments and failures.
      I found a good friend of mine after half-a-decade. Not surprisingly though, we met on Facebook. Having exchanged pleasantries, the conversation seemed to dwindle away. A decade back, we used to sit and chit chat for hours together. Not on any social networking site, but in the company of other friends. Over time, in an era that saw the emergence of cellphones and landlines, our conversations were restricted to hour-length calls. And now, when everyone's available in an world of instant messaging and web conferencing, the words seemed to be missing. As our worlds shrink, do the relationships follow suit? All our life, we run around investing in materialistic wealth and friendships. And within a blink of the eye, all of it turns into vapor. Career, achievements, awards, rewards. All of it turns life into a nasty rat race. And where does it all end? Six feet under.

     

"If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right."