Choose How You Live Your Life

I met a man named Johnny one day, who was dying. He did not know on the day we met that he was, but it was not long before his circumstances changed. He was kind, energetic and vocal. In fact, there were few things he failed to have a thought about. The one thing that sticks out the most in my mind about him is that his passion for living was only exceeded by his passion for sharing.

It is amazing how a person can zoom into and out of your life. They come in with a bang and leave evidence that they were there. The nature, title or name of the relationship is not what matters as much as the impact they have on you.  

As Johnny was approaching his last days, we sat down and had a conversation about his life and what he wanted people to know about it. The things Johnny shared with me can be helpful to you as you read what he had to say.

Johnny had a vibrant personality and an interesting life that he lived and he felt that if someone were to know something about him it should be centered around these things I am about to share. He was an accomplished professional who served his country, enjoyed his work and took an interest in mentoring those who came behind him. Johnny had a smile that would only be matched by his effervescence.  

The first thing Johnny wanted people to know is that a life should be lived, not merely existed. Living is something that should be an out loud activity not a whisper. Second thing he said was that we should strive each day to try to learn something. His zeal for life was equaled by his enthusiasm for learning.  The third thing he said was that we should let each day be filled with love. The fuel for his excitement was his love for all that God had allowed him to experience. The final point Johnny made to me was that every person will leave a legacy. He said the first three things (Live, Learn, Love) will be the ingredients that make up the last one.  

It has been many years since Johnny has left, but his words to me in his living room have stuck with me.  It is my hope that what he shared with me on the last part of his journey will inspire you as it has me for all these years. Live a life that is purposeful and impactful. Learn all that you can every moment that you can. Love passionately with every breath in your body and beat of your heart. Let your legacy be told by those who knew you for a little while or a long time, and as they tell it, I hope it is filled with the energy, enthusiasm and effervescence that you rode into and out of their life with, just as Johnny did mine.

Johnny told me that his cancer was a diagnosis but it was not who he was and he chose to not let it define how he lived. If you know someone who is battling this disease, be supportive in the best way that you can and take inspiration to the way they battle it.

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