This is your only life. Don’t waste it. Don’t take the easy way, or the cowards way. Don’t settle. Don’t wait till next time. Don’t spend all your time on empty goals only to look back and realize they didn’t even matter. Let people hate you, spend time with those who love you, and live authentically. Some people would rather die than live their truth and as a result they do.

After discovering his wife was cheating on him, 46 year old banker, Lou, took to facebook and shared about the life he never lived.  Lou hopes he can be the wake up call for someone else that he never had.

Lou’s post also reminded me of this MLK quote about half lived lives.

“You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be. And one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls you to stand up for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid…. You refuse to do it because you want to live longer…. You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab you, or shoot at you or bomb your house; so you refuse to take the stand.

Well, you may go on and live until you are 90, but you’re just as dead at 38 as you would be at 90. And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.” ― MLK

I hope Lou was able to help you as he was me. If you have time, Bruce Muzik gives an amazing Ted Talk on this very subject. The sentiment of his lecture is beautifully captured by this quote from William Shakespeare. Enjoy!