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Quality of life over quantity
“Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing.”
- Seneca
The average life expectancy has increased significantly over the past century. It is common for people to live well past 100 years of age. Although, the averages have leveled off and even decreased in certain parts of the world for various reasons. While that alone should give us pause about living conditions and quality of life worldwide, it highlights our mortality. We are only granted so many years during this lifetime, and no one is promised tomorrow. With that in mind, since we can’t guarantee that we will live to 100, we can at least make a commitment to ourselves to live a better quality of life with the time we do have left.
Edward Stieglitz is credited with a quote similar to Seneca’s above, “The important thing to you is not how many years in your life, but how much life in your years!” Simply put, it’s all about quality over quantity. I think the same sentiment can apply to many things like books, parties, friendships, workouts, meetings. Does it really matter how long it is or was if it is not worth discussing? A really good way to check in with yourself is to consider how you have been responding lately when your family and friends check in with you. Do you have something new and exciting to report, or is it just the same old, same old?
