Turns out…

There’s a lot of happy, self-help stuff out there.

You know what I mean by happy, self-help stuff right?

It’s the easy to consume bullshit standing at the ready the moment you type your most intimate thoughts into the search bar and click “I’m feelin’ lucky!”

So many people consume this bullshit because on the surface it makes sense, and gives us a feeling that maybe our life doesn’t suck after all.

Yet, we still wake up the next day to go to work for a boss that’s an idiot, to the toxic relationships we continue to tolerate, to the bank account with not enough for the future, and of course, a “just breathe, it’s gonna be alright” mentality.

And since we tolerate this kind of life.

We wait to make the necessary changes.

And then we wait some more.

Because, according to everyone on Instagram…

Any day now we’re likely going start crapping platinum nuggets and spending our days doing the incredible meaningful work that’s probably going to save mankind.

(Everyone posting on Instagram is not on LSD, right?!)

The truth is:

Your life is ending one minute at a time…

And, then you die.

It’s an obvious statement but one worth reminding you of.

When you understand this concept, time becomes more valuable.

Or, put more simply:

You should never settle for giving a fuck about a life that doesn’t work.

In my life, I have settled far too many times than I care to admit.

Similar to the road not taken, it was the moment I stopped giving a fuck about all the superficial details that didn’t make my life any better that ultimately made all the difference.

That moment lit a sense of urgency right under my tail!

And, I’m going to tell you the story in just a minute.

But first…

The main reason most people never get their shit together is because they have no sense of urgency.

Because they don’t value their time. 

These people are miserable.

They’re couch potatoes and Internet trolls.

They add little to no value in life.

They take zero personal responsibility for anything.

They spend their life in a hamster wheel becoming completely irrelevant.

And in the end, nobody ever remembers these people.

But since you and everyone you know are going to be dead soon it’s worth mentioning…

In the short time between here and there, you CAN become clearer about what you’re choosing to find important in life AND make the necessary changes you deserve.

Essentially, you CAN become more selective about the fucks you’re willing to give; preferably sooner rather than later.

Now, back to the story I promised to tell you about.

It was literally a life/death situation…

In 2007 I was a passenger in the front seat of a car that slammed straight into a concrete wall.

No skid marks on the pavement.

I have no memory of the impact.

The car dialed 911.

When I woke up, I was being rushed to the hospital, strapped down in the back of an ambulance.

Locked in a neck brace.

Without any movement to my right arm.

Thinking… 

…I’m either going to be paralyzed, or die.

The medical result: 

I suffered from a speech stutter for just under a year, couldn’t move my right arm in a circular motion for months, and had to seek treatment for my spine that was twisted in the wrong direction.

Emotional trauma.

Full mental breakdown.

Lifelong anxiety as a passenger in someone else’s car.

In the ambulance all I kept thinking was, “this can’t be how my life is going to end!”

This event shook me to my core. 

Because I was taking my time on earth for granted.

As most of us do.

But the best part was yet to happen.

One of the worst events of my life gifted me with perspective.

The perspective of urgency.

That’s why I always suggest…

Eliminate the idea of “who’s fault is it.”

Turn your pain into a tool you can use.

Turn your trauma into a force for good.

Get rid of all the dead weight you’ve been carrying for years.

Extend the amount of time you put into self-mastery.

Let your past go.

Do the real work that makes you feel like an outsider.

Start caring about what is purposeful and immediate and important.

Some days it seems like life is going to last forever.

It’s not.

If you want to change something about yourself then start RIGHT NOW.

THIS VERY SECOND.

And don’t stop until you reach the outcome you deserve.

Ever cry your eyes out because of a toxic relationship? 

Exactly. 

Fuck those people.

You don’t have time for those people.

Because…

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

~Erin

P.S. The quote above is from the movie Fight Club. And, I love it!