Now that I’m dead, I want to tell you a few things.

The first and foremost significant mindset is that you must live as if tomorrow were your last day to live. You never know when your last breath may come. If you were diagnosed with terminal cancer, your paradigm and sudden urgency to really enjoy a few last moments would be accentuated with firm importance. You must realize that family and friends are irreplaceable. You will not take your big house, BMW, and favorite set of golf clubs to heaven, but you will take your Christian brother and sister relationships. Notice the small ant on the ground. Embrace the hug of a loved one. Be thankful that someone cares about you. Do not become consumed by materialistic ambitions. In the end, you will realize the worries and anxieties of societal upgrading to become bigger and better are really not that much bigger and better after all. The simple things should be considered the significant things. Our quarks and our imperfections are what people truly remember.

My imperfection is that I have a mental illness known as bipolar disorder. I have been stereotyped, marginalized, and underestimated on many different accounts. My advice to achieving dreams is to never underestimate yourself in transforming into something great. I have traveled around the world. I have learned three languages. I just graduated with a 4.0 in a Masters Program at a reputable university. I did all these things because I believed in myself. I believed I was able to achieve what people told me I could not attain. I have been told I was stupid and I would never surmount to anything. I hate to disappoint the haters that said such hateful things, but I am sitting on top of the world.

I say use the criticism of the most wretched cynics to fuel your passion to prove people wrong. You are what you define yourself to be. You are your own worst enemy or your own best friend in the cognitive thoughts that carry you through every single day. You can be positive, or you can be negative, but I promise with a positive attitude you will achieve far more than complaining. Do not be a pity party feeling sorry for yourself. When you fall down, bounce back with the enthusiasm of a kangaroo. You cannot be stopped. You will not fail. You will succeed because you believe that your dreams are possible. They are in fact going to become a reality because they are reality!

If you have a disability or any circumstances you would consider a hindrance, realize such things never hinder you. You cannot fold with the cards you were given. You must play the game of life to the best of your ability. Make the most of it. You are given one chance to live. Do not waste it! Embrace the reality of a disability if you in fact have one or what appears to be an insurmountable challenge. The highest mountain is climbed one step at a time. Use what you consider a hindrance to push harder, to try harder, and to work harder. You will then find that what you think hinders accomplishment impelled you to do things you never thought would be possible.

You must embrace rejection as if it is your best friend. It is inevitable, but you must never give up because if you keep trying you will get your lucky break. Learn from your mistakes and keep trying. Keep reaching. Keep going. Stay the course and pursue whatever your heart desires. Even in hard times, this world is filled with infinite possibilities.

The cynics said I would not publish. I will. The critics said I could not be an inspirational speaker. I am. The haters said I would never own a nonprofit organization. I faithfully believe I can and will fulfill what they said I could not do. I am inspired to serve others.
Serve. Do not always take. Remember to give back to those who have so kindly given to you. These thoughts are how you live as if tomorrow were last day here on earth. Chase a loved one through a field of beautiful wildflowers. Buy a plane ticket to a place you have always wanted to visit. Spend a little extra money to get something you have wanted for a long time. Pursue whatever it is that causes your heart to burst into flames with excitement. Love what you do. Life is too short to do otherwise. Realize today’s moments are not here forever.

I have died. I am gone.

But people will never forget my legacy because I lived as if tomorrow were my last day to live on this green planet. Each day brought new meaning with each new sunrise. Life was God’s gift to me, and I did not need a life-threatening scenario to realize this truth. You will not be here forever. So I would advise you to embrace the moment as if it were your last because you never know when it will be.