What If You Only Had 6 Months Left to Live?
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Imagine you only had 6 months left to live… what would you do differently (if anything)? Would you keep doing the work you’re doing? Would you be with the same partner? Would you be with any partner? Would you continue living in the location you currently live? Would you enjoy life more, worry less? Play more, work less? What would it look like?
Sometimes simple, small pivots in how we perceive life and use our time can make a massive difference in how we experience it. And sometimes our life force is pushing us to make larger changes.
The first time I asked myself this question, it was a big shift phase in my life. I was in my early 30s. I’d just been through a string of significant losses and realized, after 9 years working my way up the corporate ladder: my ladder was against the wrong wall! I knew it was a problem when I found myself taking cry breaks in the bathroom. I couldn’t continue on this path. But do what instead? How?
It took years of wrestling with myself and trying everything but leaving the job (including scuba diving in the dark, dancing on the stage at a work holiday party, and jumping out of an airplane) to finally admit what my deepest calling was. I wanted to study psychology, metaphysics, transformation, and human potential. I wanted to dive headlong into the center of my questions until either there were no questions left or the questions gobbled me up, whichever came first. Then, I don’t know, maybe I’d share what I’d learned with others. Write a book, blog, coach, guide, or something.
Why did I fight what was always so clear? Because I didn’t like the answer. I wanted an easier, more practical, mainstream dream.
When we first start listening to our hearts—and even later when we are more practiced at it—the mind can get so over-active with fear stories it can be hard to separate reality from fiction.
But I kept going.
One fear-busting step at a time, Real Me started to edge out Ms. Mind Monster/ Fear and I began to redesign my life. I left my marketing career, went back to grad school to study the intersection of psychology and ancient wisdom, ended a marriage that no longer fit the person I was becoming, got certified as a life/executive coach, made partner at my coaching firm, wrote that book (publishing 2026!), met my soul mate and, eventually, we sold everything we owned to vagabond the world for 5+ years. Yes, all of this was sparked by asking myself one simple question: what would I do if I only had six months left?
I still ask myself this question to check alignment. If I’m not doing or being what I would be doing or being if I had 6, 12 or 24 months left to live, I know it’s time to take a closer look:
Is a simple mental shift needed to more fully, simply, embrace/appreciate life here, now? 🌻
Do I need to better prioritize my time to do/be more of what I enjoy? 💫
Is a larger paradigm shift in order? 👇🏻
If it’s time for a fundamental pivot, you’ve got two choices: (1) trust yourself enough to start taking the small steps to make your dreams real; or, (2) spend the rest of your days living someone else’s life. It’s up to you. If you go for it, whatever it is, I can almost guarantee you will look back and *laugh* when you realize the scary mind stories were just that: Fictions.
Following callings isn’t easy. But I promise it’s never as bad as the scary stories your mind will try to frighten you off with before you get started. 90-100% of what those gremlins tell you is complete garbage.
So I ask you again: What would you be doing RIGHT NOW if you only had 6 months left to live? What conversations would you have? What would you let go of? What would it look like to let yourself simply enjoy life? Isn’t life too short (and too long) not to?
Be/do you all the way through🦄,
KB
