Live Your Day Like It Was Your Last, Live It Like There Was No Past
- Mar 13
- 4 min read
Written by Jeff Cairo, Author
Jeff Cairo is a well-known sales coach who specializes in pattern recognition and mental health awareness. He is the author of two books. Recipe of a Stepdad, and Scars Wide Open.
Being in the present is more important than the future and more important than the past. In a single day, we have 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds. Everyone has that same time frame. But does everyone use it the same way? Most likely not. If you think about it, 8 hours of our days are taken up by school or work. And 8 hours, give or take, is for sleep. That leaves eight hours to live.
But before we get there, let’s start with the second part of the title. “Live like there is no past.” I know that it is easier said than done, but historically, people have the hardest time moving on from the past. It can be a bad relationship. Some childhood trauma. Some form of abuse. It could be someone close to you who passed unexpectedly. Literally, it can be anything that triggers you to revert back to those feelings and emotions at that point in time. I’m not saying to forget about it completely, it’s impossible. I’m saying don’t let it define who you are currently. In reality, you can’t go back and change any of it. Time doesn’t stop, and Marty McFly isn’t waiting in the Delorean to drive you back to fix it. What’s done is done. There is strength in letting go. And the hardest step of overcoming it is acceptance. Accepting this truth allows emotional energy to shift from regret toward growth. The only exception is helping people who helped you in the past, and you want to return the favor. That’s just being a good human. If you are successful and have made it to the top, then send the ladder back down and help those who helped you. One, it’s good karma, and second, not one person in this world has won just by doing it alone. Friends, mentors, family, etc., will all play a role in your journey. That’s reflection, not dwelling.
Everyone carries a past. Some memories are joyful, while others feel heavy with mistakes, regrets, losses, or painful experiences. People will replay this in their minds like an endless loop. Psychologists call this rumination the tendency to repeatedly think about negative experiences. While reflecting on past events can sometimes help us learn, constant rumination keeps us stuck in moments that no longer exist.
Overcoming the past is not about forgetting it. It is about learning from it, growing beyond it, and claiming control of our current state.
We all have hopes, plans, and dreams for our futures. Moving forward requires action. We have pursued meaningful goals, built strength, and created momentum. But like the past, we sometimes focus too far ahead. We set expectations and timelines for when we should achieve certain things. I want to finish school and do this. I want to be married by this time. I want to be settled in my career by the age of 30. I want to visit here, there, and everywhere
before I retire. All the things we stress ourselves with are sometimes well before it’s even close to the horizon. So, I always ask myself, “Why stress over something so far away?” The world changes daily around us. At any moment, you can switch, or something switches you to a completely other course than originally planned.
You must be able to pivot at a moment’s notice. I’m not saying we shouldn’t care about or plan our future and just go rogue with our lives. I’m saying live today if there is no tomorrow.
But why? It’s about appreciation for the moment. As morbid as it sounds, if your world ended tomorrow, would you have lived like you wanted to? Did you enjoy the moments with your friends and family? Did you travel and see the world? Did you have life experiences of things you wanted to do? Were you a good person, humble, and helped people who may have needed it? Life is way too short and not enjoy it. We must appreciate that God put us on this earth so that we can experience the beauty of breathing. Not to stress out about the past or our futures.
One of the saddest things about mental health is suicide. It is a shame that people get to a point where they feel there is no other option. And I’m not talking about the people who shoot a school and take innocent lives then decide to take their own lives. I’m talking about the people who get to midlife and feel that they are completely lost and give up. If you make it into your 90’s and you have enjoyed your life, then that’s a blessing. But everyone’s timeline is different, and we truthfully aren’t 100 percent in control. Sickness, accidents, etc., are in the hands of chance. So, when they say you should stop and smell the roses, we really should.
At the end of the day, no pun intended, we must maximize the hours we are awake by living life to the fullest. If you’re not enjoying your career, then change. If the people in your life don’t work for you, move on from them. If you can’t afford that vacation. Take it anyway. You can always make money, but experiences are priceless.
The only time the clock stops is when we die. Those eight hours we have when we’re asleep or at school or work countdown quickly. Don’t waste a second of it. When it’s time, and you look down from above, you want that feeling of, I’ve experienced everything I possibly could for myself. I’ve impacted as many people as possible with inspiration, care, and positive energy. And lastly, that feeling of “I loved the life I’ve lived.”
Read more from Jeff Cairo
Jeff Cairo, Author
Jeff is a leader in personal development and sales. He became obsessed with learning how people think and what makes them make decisions based on emotions or logic. His mantra is “he doesn’t have all the answers for you, but rather inspires you to ask yourself the right questions.” His purpose is to help others overcome anything in their personal, professional, and mental health journey.
