I have a wonderful friend and he is dying. Dying as in he was just diagnosed with terminal cancer.

I met with him on Friday and we had a delightful talk about death. I loved our time together because it’s not very often us humans have deep conversations about much of anything anymore let alone about our own mortality.

Instead of tears I filled up with so much peace, love, connection and compassion for him.

I smiled big when he told me that he wakes up every morning and asks himself how he can really live each one of his remaining days. Good question, right?

He was asking, and taking action on, this question well before his diagnosis. He gets it.

I didn’t used to get it. Sometimes I still get caught up and lose sight of these facts:

• I am dying every day.
• I was made limitless and great. I literally can be anything I want.
• It is my right to live out loud with my passions and dreams.

Yeah, these facts apply to you too.

If you’re living for others, playing it small, or you feel stuck in a career or relationship that feels energy draining speak up or get out!

This is your life! Be courageous! Be brave! Be happy!

Faced with your mortality you will never say you wish you would have played life small and stayed afraid of your big dream or big love.

In fact the top three regrets of the dying* are:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

*From Bronnie Ware’s book, The Regrets of the Dying

How do you want to really live the rest of this day?

Do you need to speak up for yourself? Say no? Do something fun for a change? Take an action step on your dream or dare to dream? Let something or someone go?

Do it. NOW.

Play your life like you mean it.