Strive To Die Empty

Will the work you do today really matter?

Do you have the sense there is something more to give but you can’t quite put your finger on it?

In Die Empty, Todd Henry tells us that "...most people have a nagging suspicion they are capable of contributing more—maybe even being truly brilliant at something—but have no road map for unlocking what that contribution might be."

Perhaps you need to start creating Masterpiece Days filled with the best you have to offer.

The challenge, of course, is closing the gap between our aspirational ideal of giving our lives all we got and our current reality that may fall a little (or a lot) short of that.

Here are three quick tips from "Die Empty" for how to close the gap today and start making every day a masterpiece day.

Today Is The Day (to die empty)

“Imagine for a moment that you will have a guest accompanying you throughout your day tomorrow. This person’s task will be to follow you around from the moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep. They will take copious notes about your schedule, how you interact with your family and friends, how you engage in your tasks and projects, and your mind-set through it all. Once the day is over, this person will spend the next few days processing their observations, draw conclusions about your motivations, and compile their notes into a book about you that will stand as the definitive record of your life and work.

How would you act differently tomorrow if you knew that your actions and attitude on that one day were going to be a permanent testament to your life? If you’re like many people to whom I’ve posted this question, you would probably get up a little earlier, pay extra attention to your family and the barista at Starbucks, be fully vested in every meeting, be meticulous in every task, call up an old friend for lunch, reconcile with an alienated colleague, and generally wrap up loose ends.

Next I ask, ‘How does your imagined behavior compare with how you are actually living your life today?’”

Make today matter, because it does.

Step + Sprint + Stretch (hint: leverage)

“There are three kinds of goals that help you grow: Step, Sprint, and Stretch. A step goal is a very short-arc goal (often daily) that helps you maintain forward progress, even if it’s small progress. A sprint goal is a medium-arc goal (a week or two weeks) that causes you to go beyond yourself for a season in order to increase your capacity, and a stretch goal is a long-arc goal that forces you to go far beyond your comfort zone.

Each of these three types of goals nest within one another. Step goals help you accomplish your sprint goals, and sprint goals help you accomplish your stretch goals. They don’t always have to co-exist, but it’s unwise to set the long-arc goals without having accompanying short-arc goals to help you get there. The stretch goal is the objective, but step and sprint goals are the building blocks. We usually reach our end goal, but fail to consider the mechanics, or the day-to-day logistics, of how we will actually get to where we want to be.”

Leverage goals like scaffolding to build masterpiece days, weeks, and years.

Time To Summit

“You have a finite amount of focus, time, and energy to offer the world, and it can never be reclaimed once it’s spent. There’s no use in wasting your time lamenting the past, because you cannot change or control it. Rather, I urge you to focus on what’s next.

Ultimately, your life is measured by what you gave, not what you received. Don’t hold out on the rest of us—we need you to contribute. Spend your life building a body of work you will be proud of. Engage today with urgency and diligence. Plant seeds every day that will yield a harvest later. Tomorrow is only an unfulfilled wish, so live and work as if today is all you have. If you do, you will lay your head down each night satisfied with your work, and in the end, you will die empty of regret, but full of satisfaction for a life well-lived.”

What are you holding back? How can you and your work make a difference?