It occurred to me recently that a large part of getting a meal ready to serve involves back timing.

It never really dawned on me that I was using a skill I honed in the broadcasting industry to cook diner, but such is the case.

You roughly have to know how long things take to cook and start the longest thing first, followed by the second longest thing etc. Everything takes a specific temperature for a certain amount of time to cook properly. Let’s say the baked chicken takes 33 minutes and the string beans almandine take 17 minutes. You preheat the oven to the desired temperature and set the timer at 33 minutes when you put the chicken in. When the timer reaches 17 minutes, you start cooking the string beans on the stove top. Everything is ready at the same time and you just serve.

I’m sure that’s Home Economics 101, but I missed that class.

I also missed the class on back timing for life. Maybe you did too.

There’s enough actuarial data to approximate how long you’ll live. Yes, you could trip over a Dixie Cup lid and shorten your time or be the anomaly and have Willard Scott wish you a “Happy 100^th,” but you have a general idea.

So you take that approximate age and then factor in the age you are now and you have successfully back timed your life.

That’s the easy part. Now the question is: “How do I best spend that time?”

Many people when they come to this realization concoct a “Bucket List” – things I want to do before I die.

I believe that’s quite natural but the focus is somewhat misplaced.

The focus on things takes us away from what we all really want – the ability to feel alive for every one of our remaining moments.

If you have to rely on a thing to make you feel alive, you’ve not only missed the point, you’re missing your life.

If you need something outside of you to feel your aliveness, you have bought into the concept of “It’s out there somewhere.”

Imagine for a moment that a tree, in order to feel its aliveness, has to go to the “Rain Forest Café” every Friday night. His thought process may be, “If I don’t show up there, I’m just dead wood.”

Ain’t nothing wrong with hanging out on Friday night, but if your aliveness depends on it, you’re already dead – dead to the aliveness that permeates every human being.

How do you reincarnate that aliveness and feel it wherever you are? Stop the chase!

The mindset seems to be “If I stop running I will die.” It’s just the opposite; you’ll find your life.

The aliveness of life is there regardless of what your life situation is. You just have to stop all the noise in order for its soft voice to be heard.

Your bucket has a hole in it if you expect to find your life in there.

Take the time to back time your life and find out how really alive you can be, otherwise you can’t see the forest for the trees.

All the best,

John

LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF
STOP SMOKING FOREVER
SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT
IMPROVE YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE
RELAX IN 2 MINUTES
FEEL FOREVER YOUNG
VIRTUAL MASSAGE