“You cannot touch the same water twice because the flow that has passed will never pass again” –Anonymous

Live life to the fullest is not a cliché but a wake-up call to live intentionally and not rot in the routine of everyday living. Work, family, school, and other responsibilities will always call for our attention but we must deliberately map out strategies to enjoy each moment we are privileged to have because often times, they never come back. Life is a privilege and should be seen as such. Many lie cold in the mortuary with aspirations that were never realized because they either kept procrastinating, waiting for a ‘perfect time’ which never came or had no choice but surrender when the end came for them on this side of the divide.

Life is full of its twists and bends, some predictable and some not predictable. Hence, since we do not seemingly have control over time, we need to consciously embrace the time we have at our disposal and make the best out of it. A wise person once said ‘if life throws lemons at you, make lemonade out of it’.

Be grateful for life. Live a life of gratitude. Appreciate the seemingly ‘little’ things. Believe me; a million people will exchange their shoes to enjoy a moment of what you probably take for granted. Your complaint is an answered prayer to someone’s need somewhere in this world. So don’t trivialize whatever you have.

We are all products of our choices. A student who has chosen to excel in her academics must make conscious choices that will result in an excellent result such as ensuring she attend lectures, doing private study, submitting assignments as and when due, keeping the right company, asking questions when one is not clear about a certain subject area, sitting for exams, etc. All of these choices culminate in the ultimate goal of achieving excellent performance. The same applies to every other sphere of life. You want to have an intimate and exciting relationship with your spouse or child; you’ll have to commit time, resources, forgiveness, tolerance, positive emotion, affirming words etc. into the relationship in order to achieve your ultimate goal.

It doesn’t matter what turn or junction you find yourself now, you must wisely determine to make your stay worthwhile. You pass this way just once, and if you do it well, once will be good enough. Rather than curse the darkness, why not light a candle? There’s actually no point crying over spilled milk. Why not clean up the mess and move on to something more productive and fulfilling?

Don’t be afraid to take risks. Learn something new. Educate yourself on what you want to do. Go after your goals with all gusto. Give it your best shot, because if you don’t, you might not know what it takes to reach the glass ceiling or even break the glass ceiling. And always be in competition with yourself and not others, because if you’re in competition with yourself, you’ll see that you’ll always want to better yourself, or out-do yourself.

Once a while, let your hair down and just breathe some fresh air. Do something outside your routine. Give yourself some good pampering. Do something you love. Live a life of love. Let everyone around you get infected with the love that emanates from your life. Live a life of impact and service. Don’t be overtly concerned about yourself. Reach out and touch someone’s life with affection and care. Let someone’s life be better because of you. Explore every potential within you. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’ll definitely learn through them on how to be better at what you do and also what you shouldn’t repeat. Fully embrace the now, no matter what circumstance. Do not let life pass you by. Participate actively in the drama of life. Play your role and let your impact be felt. In the words of a friend, ‘every day is a classroom, every person a teacher and every experience a lesson’. Every day is a new challenge and opportunity to discover something new. So go all out, and learn something new.

Learn to forgive and embrace unconditional love. Have at the back of your mind that people will hurt you, whether deliberately or not, always choose forgiveness. A sage once said ‘unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die’. Holding unto grudges hurt you more and actually doesn’t affect your offender. It’s been scientifically proven that bitterness and unforgiveness is linked to cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Consequently, it’ll be foolhardy not to forgive owing to its attendant risks.

A wise person once said, ‘life is measured not by the number of our breaths, but by what takes our breaths away’. So can I ask what takes your precious breaths? Is it anger, regrets, fear, bitterness, unforgiveness, malice, strife, indolence, criticism, complacence, mediocrity, rancour, complaints or love, peace, joy, drive, passion, excellence, gratitude, diligence, determination, doggedness, faith, kindness, accomplished goals, etc.

“Live every day as if it’s your last, embracing each experience as if it’s your first” –Jennifer Fertado

What will you want to be remembered for? Do you realize that you’ll actually lay cold in a coffin someday completely cut off from human existence? What will be written on your epitaph? What tributes will people write about you?

Life is a privilege. Please make the best of it. Remember life has no duplicate. If you live it well, once is enough.



To your maximal life