Sometimes I think the phrase “You only live once” is a brilliant marketing strategy that gives us permission to indulge in our privileged lives. It helps us blow our money on consumer items without much thought. After all “You Only Live Once” has become a great tag line like “Just do it! Or “Have It Your Way” Are you living a life of privilege and excess because you believe you only live once and you deserve it? Have we become a self- evolved and selfish culture because we are truly just looking out for number 1? Or is it possible that the phrase “You Only Live Once” is the ultimate marketing tag for the consumer world? Are you being sold a bill of goods you just don’t need based on the idea that you might die without it? If you live your life by the motto you only live once, why not change the world?
- Let’s explore this idea that you only live once. What will you do with your life?
- If I only live once, do I buy myself expensive diamond earrings or do I feed a starving child in my own neighborhood?
- If I only live once, what will my legacy be? Will I help others or will I just help myself?
- If I only live once, how will I make a difference in the world? Will I stand up for injustice against mankind and the environment or will I take a luxury vacation?
- If I only live once, will I travel the world and help it, or will I stay in my own backyard and judge it?
- If I only live once, what is the legacy I want to leave? Will we stand up and make noise perhaps, change the world?
What if instead of indulging our privileged lives we tried to improve the lives of others. Why not take a page from the book of Mother Teresa. She only lived once and look at what she did. She lived a life of service. She did not own a fancy car, or take indulgent vacations or make excuses to buy things she didn’t need just because she wanted them and we felt entitled to them. Mother Teresa used her life to serve the world. One of the first tenants of Yoga Philosophy is the Yamas observances to live by. If you only live once do no harm, be truthful, don’t steal, don’t be excessive, and don’t be greedy
As far as we know, we do only live once. No one has come back to tell us otherwise. So in this life can we focus on doing great works, staying humble, practicing kindness?
So, If you only live once what will you do?