“Memento mori” is a Latin phrase meaning “remember, you must die.” It’s a common phrase and self-help gurus are big fans of using this to shock people into doing something worthwhile with their lives.

At the same time, in the modern world, I think more people are wishing for death than avoiding it. Suicide and hopelessness are on the rise because no one knows what they are living for. They have no purpose and then wonder why they have no motivation.

At the heart of this problem is this feeling that getting what you want, or having the life you want means you have to DO all of these things.

Things like build the perfect morning routine, or work 12 hours every single day, or sacrifice your health and relationships.

But what if it had nothing to do with what you are DOING, but instead had everything to do with who you are BEING.

I believe that God has bounty waiting for every person. He is trying to bless us, to bestow our birthright upon as at all times. We are the ones who are choosing to wallow in self-pity and self-sabotage, rather than accept that we are ready now. We are blessed now. We are powerful now.

People Are Willing To Make Sacrifices

Look at your life. It’s not true that you don’t want to sacrifice. It’s not true that you aren’t willing to do hard things. It’s not true that you haven’t done anything with your life.

Those are all stories you made up. Or they’re stories somebody else told you and you’ve made them your life story now.

Either way, you spend your days doing activities you hate because you’ve chosen to believe you “must” and then use those activities as a reason why you can’t have what you want.

It’s insanity! You’ve put yourself directly into a position you don’t enjoy for reasons you either don’t know, or don’t actually care about.

Maybe you’re a doctor because you didn’t want to let your parents down. Or you’re in poverty because you believe making money is hard. You might be an amazing musician, but are terrified of what the critics are going to say, so you work in customer support and hate every minute of your job.

The sad reality is most people don’t have any idea what to do with their life. They live in reaction to their past and in fear of other’s thoughts about their choices. It’s hard to even call it “living.”

And the ironic part is living this way creates infinitely more regret and leads to many more poor choices than simply following your heart and doing what you’re inspired to do.

Mid-Life Crises

It’s a meme at this point, but there’s a reason a guy buys his Corvette at fifty. Or a mom has an affair with her yoga instructor after the kids leave the house.

All the “busy-ness” and noise in our lives drowns out our existential crises. We can keep acting like nothing is wrong, but only for so long. At some point, the pressure becomes too much and most people can’t handle the truth.

They’ve been living a dead life this whole time and have nothing to show for it. Money, prestige, career – it all means nothing when you wake up and realize you’ve never been true to yourself.

And at this point, you have a choice to make. A choice to wake up and do something about your life, or allow the momentum you’ve built to carry you to the end of your life. Still miserable and unfulfilled. Still wondering what on earth this whole “life” thing was all about.

Focusing On The Wrong Things

So how is this possible? How, in a world where you can’t throw a stick without hitting a self-help guru or motivation speaker, are there this many people living meaningless, floundering lives?

Almost every person on this planet has access to everything they need to build exactly the life they want. Never before has it been as easy and attainable as it is now to have money, success, freedom, relationships and everything else a person wants. So what’s going wrong?

It’s you. You’re in the way. Yes, you have access to everything, but you haven’t become the person who can do what needs to be done.

You’re looking for a place to get to, not a place to come from. And as long as you’re not where you’re supposed to be, you can never get what you want.

The Root Of The Individual

Getting what you want and living the life you were made to live is a state of being. It is a person. It is you.

Right now, you live as if your life simply happens. You look at events in your life and call them “coincidences.” You look at your actions and call them “habits.” You look at struggles in your life and call them “life is hard.”

None of these things are true. Every single moment of your life is created from inside of you. You are the creator and sustainer of everything in your life. This is what it means to be made in the image of God. We are all infinite creators and we all create infinitely, whether we know it or not.

It’s up to you to decide what you’re going to create. It can be anything you want. You can create beauty, love, money and connection. Or you can create regret, despair, poverty and turmoil.

Regardless, the truth is inescapable, you are creating it.

BEing Differently

There is only one solution to the despair-ridden lives of most people in this world: shifting your being. This means choosing to BE differently than you have been. To see the world differently than you do now. To literally become who you were made to be.

Right now, you are BEing all kinds of things. But you’re BEing those things unconsciously. This is my invitation to start your journey of BEing with intention. The journey of choosing who you are going to BE.

You can’t BE differently until you see how you are being now. And that starts with an honest look at your thoughts so you can understand the stories you are telling yourself right now.

You can’t choose to BE “I have everything I need” while you’re constantly telling yourself “life is a shitshow, I can’t wait till it’s over.”

And just a friendly reminder, you do have everything you need. You are everything you were made to be. You are love, power, an infinite creator and a beloved child of God.

Now BE that person.

Loving you,

Justin