There is nothing in this universe more powerful to humans than the fear of death. It’s that gigantic elephant in the room. The fact that we are all dying is something us in the west refuse to address. We pretend it’s not there, distracting ourselves with superfluous things and hoping it will go away. We either refuse to think about it, or we quell the fear with a religious belief system that packages it all up nicely. It gives us some rules to live by and takes away most of the fear with the thought of an afterlife. Even then though, you find most of us aren’t convinced deep down.

We are all in our own way terminally ill. We have all been given a death sentence, but no one thinks too much about that. Unless a terminal illness hits us and we are given an expiry date by a doctor. What happens then? All the bullshit, all the fear that normally holds us back goes out the window. You find most people cram more living into their final months than they did their whole life before their expiry date being read to them. It’s sad it has to be that way – when we have all have expiry dates. We just don’t know exactly when it will be – just a long way off somewhere, we hope – so we don’t bother thinking about it. At all times death lurks there in the background waiting to spring us at any moment.

When we think about this, we realise that death is the most powerful motivation tool on the planet. A lot of powerful and influential figures throughout human history have harnessed this and used it for motivation. If they can, so can you and I.

I thought to myself, how can I harness this power every day and keep it at the forefront of my mind? My answer was the below. I wrote it, read it aloud, recorded it, and I listen to it every morning to remind myself I have nothing to lose. I have no real reason to be scared of trying this, or saying that – that it all slips away in the face of death. So here it is:

Ps – Can’t be fucked reading? Listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/brentredpath/death-as-a-motivational-tool/s-PZT2y

Death As A Motivational Tool 

Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

”Place before your mind’s eye the vast spread of time’s abyss, and consider the universe; and then contrast our so-called human life with infinity.” 

”This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time.”