The story’s been told of a ritual observed amongst members of a Native American tribe, who when emerging from their homes each morning, would look around and proclaim, “today is a good day to die.”

To people who didn’t understand the underlying mindset of the proud people observing this ritual, it may have seemed pessimistic or even fatalistic. In fact, it was just the opposite.

These wise men and women were reinforcing a determination to live each day to the full, knowing that no one determines the day or hour when life will come to an end. They were saying, in effect, “I will live today without regret.”

When we deny the reality of death, we do ourselves a terrible injustice. We live as if today doesn’t really matter because we have countless days ahead. The truth is we don’t know what might happen today. We might fall in love, fall in like, or fall into an incredible opportunity…if we’re fully engaged and aware. The challenge of each day is to live as if it were our last, so when this day draws to a close, having no regrets, we can only smile and sigh in satisfaction.

The fact that we don’t live forever can give us a beautiful sense of urgency along with the patience to stop and smell the roses along the way. Our mortality can balance our desire to make a difference with a willingness to stand still and be made different by truly engaging the beauty around us.

When today is a great day to live–to passionately receive and even more passionately give ourselves away–if it turns out to be our last day, today will be a good day to die.

So if the ancient words of wisdom uttered by Native Americans don’t really work for you, create an affirmation that better suits you. The words aren’t nearly as important as the underlying determination to live everyday to the full. While we are mortal, we are also passionate, compassionate, loving beings who can leave lasting, positive impacts on generations to come.

Humans tell stories. Through our stories, we share wisdom, humor, values, and so much more. The stories that matter most revolve around the people we love most. Those are the stories we want to get right. Those are the stories LifeWellLived was created to help you tell. Let us help you tell your stories that matter most!