The Mortal Mamba

I have always been a fan of mortality since I got aware of this concept a few years back.

We are in delusion that we have unlimited time left to do things, but a simple math can give you the real picture about that. Most of the things you want to do in life can just be done a limited number of times. So whenever you say about doing something one day, think twice.

I will present some brief statistics about some of the common time consumption scenarios.

Statistics

Let’s assume that you are 30 years old today and you will live till 70 in a good shape. Good for you if you are younger, say 25 and if you are older than 30 then these numbers will make more sense (sorry :)).

Number of weekends left
Every year has approx 52-53 weeks.
So total weekends you can have = 40 * 53 = 2120.
This is also the number of weeks left in your life. So less isn’t it ?
Weekdays pass in work and other chores, weekends are generally when we aim to do some other happiness related tasks – like travel, any hobby pursuit, spending time with loved ones, or other backlog tasks.

Number of days you can work
Assuming you work 5 days a week.
So total number of days you can work = 40 * 53 * 5 = 10600.
This number is also very small considering the fact that humans derive a lot of pleasure and sense of achievement from work and career growth. So you got just a limited set of days to achieve whatever goals you desire to have.

Number of days you can sleep
Assuming you sleep daily 🙂
So total number of days you can sleep = 40 * 365 = 14600.
Since you can have this limited time, make sure to enjoy your every sleep and dreams.

Number of meals you can enjoy
Assuming you eat 3 times a day.
So total number of meals you can enjoy = 40 * 365 * 3 = 43800
So less… a foodie would just die of depression after looking at this number.

Number of travel vacations
Assuming you are not extra rich with money and time, and falls within the majority of humans that earn decent, you can aim to travel once (a quality vacation) in a year.
So total number of travel = 40

Number of days you can see your parents
If you are living away from your parents and visit your parents once or twice a year, just imagine how small this number is. Generally speaking your parents will perish much faster than you, so this number would be much smaller.

Number of days you can spend with your partner
Assuming you spend time daily with your partner.
That will give you roughly = 40 * 365 = 14600 days.
If you are lucky to have an amazing partner, these many days are way too less. Make the best out of each single day.

These were some of the very basic examples I gave about the limited time we have. To me, it is painful to realize that I have approximately two thousand Sundays left in my life.

What’s the action item then ?

Take good care of your health
Health is the foundation. The healthier you are the more leverage and time you have to do the things you want to do.

Be mindful of the limited time you have
Be aware of the mortality of everything around you. We derive lots of pleasure and memories from other humans and our relationships with them. Be mindful of that. Make good memories. Avoid postponing things to tomorrow.

Develop a sense of urgency
Have a more aggressive dedication towards the things you want to do in life. If you are a travel freak, travel more frequently. If you want to achieve some career goals, work harder for it. Whatever you want to do in life, whatever you feel will make you happy at the end of your life, do more of it with more aggression and urgency. 14600 would be an upper bound on the number of days to do most of things.

P.S: The remaining days look very small and countable once you put it down in numbers. And these numbers are getting smaller very fast. There is a saying “days are longer but years are short”. Make the best of your every day, every hour, every minute.