Seneca once wrote:
It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing. So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it… Life is long if you know how to use it.
This is a profound statement and I would encourage you to read it again. The more I read it, the more I am inspired by it.
These phrases stick out the most to me:
“It is not that we have a short time to live… but that we waste a lot of it…”
“Life is long enough for the highest achievements if it were all well invested…”
“It is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity…”
“We are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it…”
I should, perhaps, end this article right now—with Seneca’s own words—rather than thinking I can improve upon them.
But maybe, for just a few short sentences, I will comment.
You (the person reading these words right now) were designed to achieve great things! You are unique in your being, your substance, your abilities, and your relationships. And there is no one else on the face of the earth who can live your life and accomplish your good.
Please, do not forget that.
There is no doubt that “success” and “achievement” are relative words and your highest achievement is different from someone else’s highest achievement. You may never lead thousands or cure cancer. But make no mistake:
There is a good that you are designed to bring into this world. And there are people in your life that you can serve and love better than anyone else.
Your highest achievement will be different than mine, but we both have one. And “life is long enough for us to achieve it.”
Unless, as Seneca wrote, “Our lives are wasted in needless luxury and spent on no good activity.”
It is up to us to decide, every day, to focus our energies on those things worthy of the one life we have been given.
Discard the inessential. Remove the distractions. Reject worthless activity.
Your life is too short… to waste accumulating material possessions.
Your life is too short… to be offended all the time.
Your life is too short… to chase accolades.
Your life is too short… to compare it to others.
Your life is too short… to waste watching 6 hours of television/day.
Your life is too short… to pursue riches.
Your life is too short… to not believe in yourself.
Your life is too short… to not forgive.
Your life is too short… to not speak your mind.
Your life is too short… to worry about the future.
Your life is too short… to regret the past.
Your life is too short… to live in fear.
Your life is too short… to be unhappy.
Your life is too short… to waste time on the trivial.
—
Your life is too short… to live like everyone else.
Your life is too short… to not be true to yourself.
And life is too short to wait.
About Joshua Becker
This is SO, so true, Joshua. It brought me to tears on this eve of my 54th birthday. I wonder, how did I get here so fast? Where have the years gone? I can honestly say that I have done my best to live each day to the full and for some reason, I have always had a very keen realization how short life is and how quickly it goes by. But, even as I have tried to cherish each moment and cling to it for all it’s worth, those moments have slipped through my fingers like grains of sand. May the Lord help me to keep these truths ever before me and make the most of the time I have left on this earth. I want to please Him and do all I can for Him and for my precious family and loved ones while I am passing through on my way to that eternal home with Him.
I know exactly how you feel , and as I read your reply , it brought me to tears and I just want to give you a big hug , because I’m in the same place and at least I’m not alone . God bless you and keep trekking
It’s ironic that you titled this as “Life is Too Short” then started quoting Seneca “It’s not that we have a short time to live” and also “Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us”. Then you begin your conclusion with a list of worthless activities by beginning each one with “Your life is too short”. You seem to be contradicting yourself and Seneca. Perhaps you should title it “Don’t Waste Your Time”. That would definitely give pause with a title like that. Also your list could start the same way.
Anyways, thanks for the Seneca quote and your words. Always a good reminder of living our God given life to the fullest and in pursuit of that which is good, pure and righteous. God bless you.
It is often said that hell is when God allows you, at death, to meet the person you could have become!
If you believe in hell. (I truly don’t mean that in a condescending way)
I find that religion was created to induce fear among the people. Where there is fear there is control. I have a hard time believing a loving god would send his creation to hell for not believing in him. It makes no sense.
I’ve come to realize that evolution is more believable And has more credibility than that of the creation story I’ve been taught all my life. I’m 56 now. Realizing this gives much more splendor to this thing called life. We truly do have only one life. This life. Enjoy it!
I love following you Joshua. You have some great insight! My son is a true minimalist. He became one after his hike on the AT- he was 28- in 2017. I take great pride in his wisdom of being one.
🌟Your words of wisdom are the very best part of this post🌟! They clarified all of the best points and brought them to Life for me!
I am turning 60 years old on 9/9, being born in 1960. It is a poignant year for me, since it is the age that my dad was when he died… Young.
I will take your words to heart to make each day more meaningful and better!
Thanks and aloha,
Peach 🍑
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
The verse I believe God gave me for this year… I read it almost every day.
My husband is in hospice. We moved a few months before covid to be close to his daughter and family. They have been supportive but have two kids and hectic jobs. Now that kids have resumed school it is problematic due to covid. It has been difficult not having my friends near. I was diagnosed with clinical depression many, many years ago. I used to volunteer, see friends, garden. I have faced and rose above my mother’s suicide when I was eight, abduction at 28, freak illness that had me hospitalized and intubated. Now I am depleted with no reserves. I am ashamed when I think of those who died from covid, for the families, for the jobless and homeless. I have food, shelter. The road ahead seems empty. Please don’t judge me.
start each day giving thanks for your blessings. this change in mindset may help. praying it will bring you through this difficult time.
Phillis, you have very right to your feelings of depression. Care giving drains a person. Drains them of not only their energy but their joy. You left your support system and way of life. I am sorry that your husband may be in the last stages of his life but you aren’t! Ask for help. Take care of yourself. You can’t take care of him if you are sick. And grief can make you physically ill. I lost my husband 18 years ago. The life I’m living now was never even in my plans but I survived. I will add you to my prayers. Please reach out to someone. Hospice usually have great counselors for family members.
I will be praying for you, friend. Look up your local Church of Christ congregation; they will pray for you as well. They will also be a good source of support and love and will help you find peace through Christ. God loves you and so do I.
It’s interesting because we used the exact same photo. I used it for a post on Facebook to promote my online business, Rosewood Palace. The truth is that I sell things online. I once had a physical booth inside of a 6,000 square foot store, before this crazy pandemic, in addition to my online store. I commuted 45 minutes to get to the booth. Maintaining it was impossible during the shutdown. It was a huge eye opener to me, which influenced me to move 100% online. I live in a very tiny 1 bedroom apartment with a small space for storage in the basement. Having all of my inventory at home was proving to be hard. I thought about storing my things in a small office (to separate it from home), but office space is very pricey in Madison, WI.
What I do is I resell used items on Etsy. Once I realized how much I wanted to be self-employed, I started working towards making that a reality (in 2014). I don’t make enough $, yet, for it to be worth my time. I was going to spend extra $ on an office space 45 minutes away from where I live, because it was a much more reasonable price, but right now isn’t a good time for me to spend extra $. It’s too risky. The thing is, businesses take a lot of risks. I consider my business low risk because I’m spending less on inventory items to resell. I’m not buying brand new items in bulk. I hand pick items that I find suitable for my online store and there are rarely replicas of the same item. The apartment is currently cluttered until I learn how to have a better system for managing the inventory for my business. I accept this to be where I am at, and so does my fiance. Nothing in life is black and white. I want to promote used items over new because it’s better for the planet. I use rocks and crystals to cleanse the items (and, sometimes sage) because I worked in a spiritual rock shop for 6 months and learned the value in cleansing/clearing spaces in addition to physically cleaning them. I’m a bit frustrated with my current situation, hoping to improve it. You had once said to just get rid of things so that you don’t have to deal with organizing it/them. I want to remind you of context. Look at my example of working from home to save $. This is in hopes to be able to buy a house, btw, where I’ll have the space to stage out my business (inventory, photoshoot area, packaging area, etc.) probably in a finished basement. Getting organized is very important to the success of my business. So, my apartment could be way less cluttered, yes, but I want to run my online resale business. It is my dream, also, to succeed at it. So, I have more to learn before I get to where I want to be. I’m more of an investor in taking the necessary time to figure things out than to pay someone to quickly teach me, too. So, it is what it is. I accept my situation and look to improve it, as I’m able to.
There’s this whole scenario where we have to weigh pros and cons and ask ourselves if we’re willing to make short-term sacrifices for the long-term gain. Millennials don’t make a lot of $, and the last time I checked most of them are still reliant on their parents. There’s a movement, right now, where people are trading on Facebook (in groups) and people are acquiring free items (on the marketplace and in groups). I have obtained free items for my shop and I’ve obtained free plants and have traded plants. It’s absolutely wonderful to see and experience, personally. Sure, I could just throw away or donate everything that I’ve acquired, but I wouldn’t be happy because I see an opportunity to get better at managing my inventory and to become financially independent running this business, someday. I also want to consider where to donat the things I’m not planning on reselling (not just to Goodwill all the time -> circulation). So, then, too, I’m combining the experience I’ve had working other jobs (Costco, Pandora, Cost Plus World Market, Swarovski, Peaceful Heart, etc.) and I’m carrying that experience over to being self-employed. This is what makes me the happiest. 😄 Thanks.
Kindly,
Reannah
It looks like a great move for you, Reannah, and I am so excited for you and hope you will get to lead your own business as you become self-employed. I got my business in circulation in place and now run it with 2 staffs. Lots of paperwork and got very little help. Sending you my affectionate support and wish you well. Much love.
Absolutely inspiring, life changing article. Thank you so much
After a very brief illness, my husband died leaving me a widow at age 52. That wasn’t the plan! After much thought, I concluded that I was supposed to do something that I either would not or could not have done in my old life. It has been my quest for the past 16 years to find that purpose. Your wonderful article came at a time when I have stagnated due to Covid 19. Thank you for your words of wisdom and guidance.
This post comes at a good time for many I think. Thank you for sharing that quote with us.
Thank you for this thoughtful, encouraging article! In a world gone mad with consumerism, greed, selfishness and waste, you are a breath of fresh air! Thank you for being a voice in the “wilderness” of our crazy world and calling us back to what is truly important!
Great quotation! I have definitely been feeling this way lately – that it’s not that I don’t have enough time, just that I’m not using it well. Thanks for the inspiration!
Beautiful words. I really needed to hear these today. Thank you.
Thank you for these inspirations! It resonates with my especially today. Mahalo and Aloha!!
I turned 60! I have been reflecting on my past, thinking of my future.
I’ve been asking myself what is the purpose of my life! At times, my thoughts bring me down. I feel I have wasted so much. I feel like I am at a stand still and life is passing by with Covid 19 out there.
Thank you for always writing such beautiful words.
One of my favorite posts you have written and I’ve been a follower since the very beginning! My husband and I are in the midst of making a big decision that is weighing heavily on us. Reading this post has helped push me in a direction I feel has been in my heart all along. Thank you.
This is the BEST of the many wonderful, enlightening, encouraging, teaching posts you have written. COVID has taught us how short life can be and how unprepared for death we are. We always think there will be time for this, that and the other thing. Thank you for the figurative slap on the side of the head you have given regarding how rewarding life can be if we take control of our life and live it to the fullest. Life is not short if it is well lived.
And life is too short to worry about whether we are doing everything “right”… or following a list on how not to waste it. I think we need to be “in the moment”. Not neglecting to notice things, people, places, emotions, love, pain, joy… everything around us. Being aware enough to see people who need our kindness….. and taking the time to be…. although there are so many in this world today who are struggling so much to just get by…. I have much compassion for them.
I was at peace just reading this message. Thank you.
Such pressure. I’ve wasted a lot of my life. I had the opportunity to be a state-wide leader in education. My life would have been completely different. Would it have have been better with job titles added to my name? A completely different set of colleagues? I could have gotten my PhD in 3 years instead of 10 years. BA at 20, Masters at 40, PhD at 60 years.
Now at 80 years, I’m thankful my brain is still working. I enjoy my kids, a few close friends. I’ve had a few significant wins in my life. These seem unimportant now. They were nice but that’s over now
I’ve read most of pop literature on getting the most from life. Focusing, goal setting, time management, learn to say no, prioritize, time is a precious commodity, enjoy every moment for lost moments will be gone forever.
As I said before, Such pressure as time slips away. Such pressure not to have regrets.
Yes the time spent on TV hits close to home. It can be a drug that sucks you in. Like all of the news and politics. But the good news is that we all have the control in what we watch if anything and how much time we spend doing that. Then there is the “Off” button!
Thank you for your essays and insightful thoughts. I read a lot of essays about forgiveness and making the state of forgiveness as a wonderful place. As a victim of emotional and physical abuse from several family members, I am in a place of forgiveness but I do not want to have contact with my abusers. Just a thought that some instances “loving from afar” is sometimes the best I can do.
I just recently learned of the Stoics. wish I’d discovered them 50 years ago. Marcus Aurelius, Seneca Epictetus. Their wisdom still resonates after nearly two millennia.
Thank you Joshua. I first encountered you in the documentary The Minimalists . Your dedication to helping others in inspiring and you are helping me re-evaluate and delutter my life . Warren
Thank you for these wise words.
Thank you for this! It’s a keeper. It has taken me many years to become aware of these truths for me and in how I live my life. I turned 75 this year in June. It was noteworthy despite sheltering in place. I was already in edit mode when I met my husband on 1 November 2003. He is also Dutch and was born in Indonesia and was in a Japanese concentration camp. Mangoes and papayas kept him alive. He cleans his plate so well at each meal. He is still collecting and hoarding especially books but other things too. I try to not mind, but I do. It isn’t lack of love. And it is hard.
This was definitely the message I needed to hear. Thank you! As I approach my 32nd birthday, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my life and where I am in comparison to my friends. I know that comparison is the thief of joy, but sometimes I can’t help it. This blog holds so much of what I needed to hear right now.