Why Facing Death is the Secret to Living Fully — Jodi Wellman
Oct 28, 2024
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Jodi Wellman, an executive coach and author with a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology, discusses powerful insights on embracing mortality. She explores how contemplating death can drive meaningful life changes and inspire intentional living. Jodi shares personal practices that keep death in focus, assisting her clients in finding purpose. The conversation includes Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence, emphasizing living as if you'd want to repeat every moment. Prepare for a transformative dialogue about living life without regrets.
Contemplating death can motivate proactive life choices, enhancing appreciation for the present and reducing anxiety about mortality.
Intentional reflection and practices, like evaluating potential deathbed regrets, empower individuals to align their actions with their deepest values.
Using a calendar to assess happiness allows individuals to prioritize joyful activities, transforming mundane routines into meaningful experiences.
Deep dives
Reconsidering Bucket Lists
Bucket lists may often serve as life-delaying lists, providing just enough satisfaction to prevent meaningful action. This perspective suggests that while dreaming of future adventures can be motivating, it can also create a false sense of accomplishment that discourages immediate engagement. Rather than passively waiting for the 'perfect moment' to fulfill dreams, individuals should focus on integrating their aspirations into daily life. Taking actionable steps toward goals allows for the celebration of small milestones, leading to a more fulfilling existence.
The Value of Contemplating Death
Contemplating death can significantly enhance one's appreciation for life and motivate individuals to live more intentionally. The concept of temporal scarcity highlights that recognizing the finite nature of life can motivate proactive choices rather than deferring desires for the future. By counting the number of Mondays remaining, individuals can grapple with their mortality in a way that encourages them to take advantage of the present. This shift in mindset can alleviate fears surrounding death, as actively participating in life tends to reduce anxiety about one's mortality.
Near-Death Experiences and Life Transformation
Many people who have near-death experiences often emerge with a renewed sense of purpose, completely transforming their lives and prioritizing what truly matters. These experiences, while profound, are not necessary for everyone; individuals can consciously incorporate elements of this awareness into their daily lives through intentional reflection and practices. Imagining a brush with death can help identify what aspects of life matter most and motivate change before it is too late. This proactive approach empowers individuals to evaluate their current choices and act meaningfully on their dreams and desires.
Questions for Clarity and Purpose
Effective coaching often relies on powerful questions that prompt deep self-reflection and clarity about life priorities. Considering deathbed regrets — or pre-grets — can encourage individuals to examine their choices and identify paths not taken that may lead to a more fulfilling life. Creating a list of 'coulda, shoulda, wouldas' allows people to confront their aspirations honestly and take action before time runs out. Engaging with these reflective practices fosters a sense of agency, enabling individuals to reshape their lives in ways that align with their deepest values.
Living with Intention
Using a calendar as a tool for measuring happiness can significantly impact how one designs their life. By reflecting on scheduled activities and distinguishing between energizing and draining tasks, individuals can prioritize joy and fulfillment in their daily routines. Recognizing moments of dread can lead to conscious decisions to eliminate or minimize those activities, allowing more room for the joyful ones. Ultimately, being deliberate about one's time fosters a life rich in meaningful experiences and connections, transforming the mundane into sources of joy.
Jodi Wellman is an executive coach, speaker, and author, with a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Her TEDx talk, “How Death Can Bring You Back to Life”, has garnered over 1.3 million views, and her new book, “You Only Die Once”, offers a roadmap for living without regrets.
Here’s what we dive into:
— The benefits of contemplating death and why doing so can inspire meaningful life changes.
— Jodi’s personal practices for keeping death top of mind and how it has transformed her life.
— Questions Jodi uses to help her is coaching clients find clarity and purpose.
— How Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence can challenge us to live in a way we’d want to repeat forever.
And more.
You can learn more about Jodi’s work at https://fourthousandmondays.com.
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Jodi Wellman is a speaker, author, and facilitator on living lives worth living. She founded Four Thousand Mondays to help people make the most of the time they are lucky to be above ground.
Jodi has a Master’s of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also an Assistant Instructor in the Master’s program and a facilitator in the Penn Resilience Program. She is an ICF Professional Certified Coach and a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach.
Jodi’s TEDx talk is called How Death Can Bring You Back to Life; with over 1.3 million views, it is the 14th most-watched TEDx talk released in 2022, out of 15,900!
Her book, "You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets" was published in May 2024 by Voracious (Little, Brown & Company) in the US and Canada, and by John Murray One in the UK.
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Interview Links:
— Jodi’s website - https://fourthousandmondays.com
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