Life is Short

Life is short, as everyone knows.

When you have kids, you realize that life is actually short. Having kids shows how to convert a continuous quantity of time into discrete quantities. You only get 8 Christmases where the magic truly lasts.

“Life is too short for x” has great force.

Life is too short for ‘bullshit’. Examples of this can be unnecessary meetings, pointless disputes, traffic jams…

As well as avoiding bullshit, one must seek out things that matter. One good heuristic for this is to ask yourself if you’ll care about it in the future. Having a coffee with a friend matters.

Children make you spend time on things that matter: them.

If life is short, shortness takes things from us by surprise. You take things for granted, and then they’re gone. The saddest windows close when people die. Spend time with people you love; their life is short too.

The usual way to avoid being taken by surprise is to be consciously aware of it.

Cultivate a habit of impatience about the things you want to do; just don’t wait.

How you live affects how long you live.