In this episode, we discuss the Latin quote Memento Mori, which roman generals had their aids whispering in their ear, which translates into, “remember you must die.”
Full Transcript
Hi Everyone, welcome to the You’re Daily Cup of Joe Podcast, with your host Joe Bautista. In this podcast, my goal is to give you quick lessons that you can reflect on in your journal so you can grow yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and have a better career, better relationships, and better personal finances while you enjoy your morning cup of coffee.
I’m also the author of the book “More You Know, More You Grow: How to Get Better Every Day”. In this book, I wrote down over 30 tips to help you grow in those four cornerstones. I’m also the founder of Grow With Joe, where I combine self-development coaching and financial planning for Latino Professionals.
At the end of today’s podcast episode, I’m going to give you a prompt question to reflect on in your journal. The idea is to take one to five minutes to reflect on today’s lesson and write a minimum of one paragraph on how you can apply the lesson in your life life. You can use an actual journal, a word document like on Google Drive, or your note-taking app like Evernote. The idea is that you’re actually thinking about how to process the information to help you improve your life.
In today’s episode, we’re are going to talk about memento mori which translated from Latin means, “Remember you must die.” Since we all going to pass away one day, it’s really important that you know how to die because once you know how to die, then you can know how to live.
Since I know I only have a finite amount of time on this planet, then I know that I shouldn’t be that wasteful of it. I better make sure that I’m completing everything that I want to complete. We don’t have all the time in the world to do everything, so we just have to decide what is important to us.
You can save up all this money, but what is the money for? You can put that money in the grave with you but that isn’t really going to do anything that benefits society. Money is a tool that is used to buy time and experiences. I could go into farming and grow my own food, but then I couldn’t spend time doing this podcast. I have to use the money I make to pay for food so I can focus on my passion.
Spending and saving is a balance, we have to know what we’re doing everything for? From my experience, people who are good savers for retirement, are not good spenders in retirement. They already have their habits locked down and spending is good. It’s their money and they can do what they want with it, but it’s important to know that you can do things to maximize your life. Maybe donate the money, give your children the best training and education you can, or spending the money on experiences.
The idea is that you need to be intentional with your actions. Don’t assume that everything will work its self out in the end. It won’t and then things will be out of your control.
If you want to spend all your time consumer television after work and you truly enjoy it, then go for it. Just make sure that you’re not going to regret all those years when your time has come.
I know that I’m going to die and I just want to make sure that I minimize my regrets. That’s not saying things will go wrong in my life and I don’t accomplish all my goals, which is most likely going to happen. It means that I’m pursuing those goals and I’m just satisfied with whatever outcome I get. I did all that I could do and that’s good enough for me. As long as I’m being true to myself and not letting doubt get in my way, then you’re accepting your death. Death can come for anyone at any time. The likelihood that your reach old age is pretty good but not everyone does. Since I known people who’ve died an early age, I know that I have to be prepared for death by living a life by my design.
I have all my ducks in a row if I were to pass and I have a vision for my future that I’m trying to make a reality. Now in my 30s, my body is starting to ache more and my recovery time is increasing, so my feelings of being vulnerable are starting to creep in. This has caused me to get more serious about my goals and does what I think is going to be for me and society.
Once you start to realize that death is a possibility, then you start to do things with more effort and this effort should be at all times. When you’re at work, you make sure you’re working hard on your stuff. When you’re in leisure time, then you’re making sure that you’re enjoying that time. Be in the moment and just enjoy it.
I do like social media and there are times where I catch myself where I overdo it and I’m being better at minimizing my consumption so I can focus on other things. There is a time for it but I just have to make sure that I don’t overdo it. I guess the reason I like podcasts so much is that I can do two things at once. When I walk the 15 minutes to the gym, I can listen to a podcast at the same time, then at the gym, I can still listen to more episodes. I also make sure that I take time to notice my environment and see what is going on. I get to see different things, listen to new ideas, and strengthen my body. I feel these are really good activities for me to do because they are going to provide me with opportunities in the future.
I might see a new store that I want to check out. I might hear a podcast episode where I get my next great idea, or I might have strengthened the muscle that will help me not fall in the future. So if you’re not sure what to do with your life. Just make sure that you’re doing important things that will give you more flexibility and control over your life. You don’t always have to chase money, because if you don’t accept the money, then they can’t tell you what to do. A reason why big firms offer fancy dinners and awards is that they want to set a new standard for how you live. If you’re used to drinking fancy cocktails, then you’re going to do the work to get that standard of living and might stick with a job longer than you have to. The thing you don’t want to happen is that you chased the wrong thing for too long. If you remember that you’re going to die one day, then it will cause you to think of the actions that you’re taking today are actually worth it. If they are, then continue. If not, then try to pivot into something different.
That’s it for today’s episode, and to summarize it, remember that you must die, or in Latin Momento Mori. Whatever you choose to do in life, just make sure it’s something that you want to do. Try not to leave this place with a lot of regrets. If you haven’t heard yet, the graveyard is the most valuable place on this planet. It’s filled with dreams, ideas, and thoughts that never became a reality. Since we are more away from our vulnerability, let’s not try to add to the stockpile.
So in your journal, ask yourself, am I doing the actions that I want to do? How can I start making some changes that will get me to where I want to go? Take some time and reflect on where you are in life and where you want to go. Just because the present is what it is today, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way forever. Also, write down how many more summers you have until 70. Are you going to take advantage of all those summers? Hopefully, you will.
Thanks for listening today! To get a free copy of my book “More You Know, More You Grow: How to get better every day” just go to my website growwithjoe.me/book and just pay for shipping and handling.
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Thanks for joining me today and remember if you go with Joe, you can grow with Joe, cause Joe knows Dough.
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