My mom's dog, Hero, was on his last days. He turned 15 Last year.
He slept longer and deeper than ever. He no longer wanted to go on afternoon walks. his hips hurt too much.
“There are big differences every year as dogs get older,” a vet said. “One day he won’t be able to get up, and when that happens, it’ll be time to let him go.” Just like that, one day Hero just didn't get up anymore.
Last week while thinking of hero it made me think of Our little guy Hercules(2-year-old chihuahua). You can check out how amazing his life is on Instagram @herculitoaguilera
In observing Hercules who can jump a good 3 feet, is very agile and full of energy. I began to reminisce about hero and how Hercules will end up in this very same situation in hopefully will be very many years from now. Just like Hero, Hercules will get old and you know what....
So will we.
From the moment you were conceived, your clock began ticking. Every day is one day closer to your last in this form as far as you know it.
This is why time is your most precious commodity.
I'm working hard to help you see that. It’s more important than any material thing you might accumulate.
Use it wisely—on the things that really matter.
Let me put this in perspective. Imagine your time was money in the bank. At the start of your life, 100 years were deposited into your savings account. (If we’re talking about death, let’s at least be optimistic.)
One hundred years is 36,500 days, 876,000 hours, or about 52 million minutes.
That may seem like a lot of time. But each second you are alive, the account starts depreciating in value.
And you can never add back to it.
There’s no lottery that gives you a windfall of decades.
There’s no investment plan that gives you compounding eternal life on earth.
Eventually, your time is going to run out.
That’s why you must use it well—both at work and at home.
That’s why you need to ask yourself, every day: Am I living my “why,” my purpose, my mission? Am I being my unapologetic most authentic self? Am I present and genuine in my relationships? Do I strive to better not only myself but my community? Do I work tirelessly to make the world a better place than I found it?
These are the things that mater after you’re gone. The money will fade. Houses will crumble. Cars will rust. Stuff—however much you may have—will decay. Entropy will win.
Let's take a moment to remember Apple CEO Steve Jobs knew this all too well.
In his commencement address to the Stanford University class of 2005, Jobs said, “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 used to help make the big choices in life. 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.”
The most precious minutes are the ones we have today, so let’s make the most of them.
Let’s capture memories with loved ones.
Let’s take a risk and help someone in need—even if we fear judgment or criticism.
Let’s spend time asking ourselves tough questions about what matters.
And let’s act with honesty, love, and integrity like there’s no tomorrow.
If you need me, I may be over on the living room floor rubbing little Hercules' belly.
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