I am not going to waste it.

I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. I felt completely glued to my bed as if I was a child again and the floor would turn to lava if I stepped out of the covers. I woke up and immediately snoozed my alarm multiple times not even giving my conscious brain a chance to talk myself out of what I was doing. I know myself well enough at this point that I’ve resorted to making my alarms my backup motivation plan (see featured image):

I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it.

It’s inspired by this longer quote that’s one my all time favorites:

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” ― Dalai Lama XIV

(This same quote hangs in two places in my childhood home)

The fourth or five time one of these alarms went off – I finally read the message I wrote months ago on my alarm clock. The truth behind the simple sentence finally registered and I got out of bed. Rather than thinking of the mountain of moments ahead of me, I started thinking of all of the little things I had to look forward to. Coffee at the Daily Grind. A beautiful walk through UNC’s campus. A sunny, hot day. Reliable wifi. I won’t go into details but today surprised me. I heard from multiple people I never expected to hear from. I helped and was helped. I learned a variety of new things and brainstormed some exciting new ideas for work. I had a refreshing and challenging workout. I made weekend plans and more moments to look forward to. I woke up. I got up. I lived. The ground didn’t turn into lava and I survived another day. The world spins madly on 🙂