Chase Experiences

When your time is up on Earth, your body either goes into the ground where it slowly decomposes, gets burned to ashes and stored in a vase, or is dispersed over the land. When you die, you don’t bring anything with you. None of the money you make, the house you lived in, or the car you drove leave Earth with you. You leave Earth like you entered Earth, alone and with nothing. Your time on Earth is fleeting. Relationships with others and the experiences you encounter during your life are the moments and feelings that will matter when you’re reflecting back on your life. Chase experiences instead of staying at home and repeating your day-to-day life. Your older self will regret not acting. Your older self will regret not taking a chance. Your older self will regret not seeing what’s out in the world. Your older self will appreciate you taking the leap and experiencing life.

In the short term, it may seem expensive to take an impromptu trip across the country. It may seem rash to book a weekend getaway to a state in driving distance. It would be a leap of faith to sign up for a dance team with the hopes of learning and following a hobby. You may be uncomfortable organizing a local meetup for a subject you’re interested in. It may require conquering a fear to go skydiving for the first time. There are countless examples of places you could go, things you could do, and relationships you could chase. Alternatively, there are countless examples of places you could look back on saying you wish you visited, things you wish you did, and relationships with people that got away. Chase the experiences and moments that you’ll regret not doing. In the short term, they may seem like crazy decisions. In the long term, you’ll either be grateful you acted or wish that you did.

Computer science professor Randy Pausch received a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis and shared a life reflection at the 2008 Carnegie Mellon University commencement speech prior to his death. He said the following:

"It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our death bed. It is the things we do not. I assure you I've done a lot of really stupid things, and none of them bother me. All the mistakes, and all the dopey things, and all the times I was embarrassed — they don't matter. What matters is that I can kind of look back and say: Pretty much any time I got the chance to do something cool I tried to grab for it — and that's where my solace comes from."

The option to live your life in a way that will fulfill you when you’re reflecting back on your journey is an option to live in the now. To chase experiences you must opt for a life that throws you into the uncomfortable. You must opt for a life that throws you into new and uncharted territory. You must opt to live a life that makes you more synonymous with an explorer than a normal person. When your time is done, you’ll only regret if you didn’t.