What would you do?

Last week, my sister and I came across a book teaching people about financial literacy. It was part of a course that teaches people the basics about their money and the resources were awesome enough that I enrolled ;-)

Anyway, this book was teaching the reader about putting things into priority so that the reader would then be able to determine for themselves where their energies/money/attention needed to be focussed. One of the questions that was used really struck a cord with me: If the Dr told you today that you had 6 months to live, what would you do?

1) Quit work
The first thing I would want to do is to quit work - but then you would need the money so you would have to work until you weren't physically able - but like the quote that many of us have heard before goes something like - there is no one on their death bed wishing they were in the office more or could have worked more.... So what would I do - probably quit work and take my annual leave and my four weeks notice payment and run!

2) Pull sons out of school
The next thing I would do - and on the same day - is take my boys out of school because I would want to spend every living moment of the next six months with my sons which meant no school. this of course would only last a day or two - before I begged them to go back ;-) I would then spend my time filming for them to look a later, and write them letters for every occasion I could think of... so they never ever forgot that they were never ever far from my thoughts!

3) Near the sea
I would go near the water - any water. It was my mother's favourite place and mine as well. I would swim as long as I could and have as much fun as I could.

4) Read/ listen and watch everything
I would read as much as I could, listen to music that I love over and over and  even watch my most favourite movies - to create more memories that I could jam into  my little old head - because let's face it - there is nothing that you can take with you except what you carry around in that grey matter... NOTHING.

5) Be happy
The last piece of advice my mother gave me from her dying bed was to be positive. and I want to leave this life on that note - positive. I want my last six months to be surrounded by my husband and sons, my brother, his beautiful wife and tamariki, my sister and her babies...and if Simba is alive - her as well - facing the end like a big brave girl and happy ;-)

Now this exercise is meant to give me some idea about what I need to be doing in my life which I found very interesting. According to this, I am looking for opportunities where I can increase time with family, while having time to have fun and play, being laid back and enjoyable. The funny thing is that I think I am on track. I've quit my highly stressful job of the last five years (although the transition period has been extended another 30 days :-)), started a company with a friend running holiday programmes, and meeting with another friend about doing some consulting work - from home - and all of which have happened in the shortest of times and very exciting...

So have a go - if your Dr told you that you only had 6 months to live, what would you do? And then ask what do I need to be doing in my life today to make those things happen? Don't wait until the Dr tells you that you have a limited life span - make it happen for you now.

Yours in friendship,

Mxox