​Wake Up to Your One Life - Why Now is the Time to Live Fully

Image by Tri Le from Pixabay

Two pieces of writing moved me this week. The first was a passage often attributed to Brazilian poet Mario de Andrade, "My Soul is in a Hurry," which reflects the spirit of his writings, especially O Valioso Tempo dos Maduros (The Precious Time of the Mature). It’s a poignant meditation on the finite nature of life. The second was a quote from Bianca Sparacino’s Seeds Planted in Concrete:

"You ruin your life by tolerating it. At the end of the day, you should be excited to be alive. When you settle for anything less than what you innately desire, you destroy the possibility that lives inside of you, and in that way you cheat both yourself and the world of your potential."

These words struck a chord. Life often slips through our fingers when we aren’t paying attention. Andrade echoed this sentiment with a quote attributed to Confucius:

“We have two lives, and the second begins when you realise you only have one.”

That realisation—that time is finite—should ignite us to live with urgency and purpose. Yet too often, we choose comfort and safety, letting life pass us by. Sparacino warns:

"You ruin your life by tolerating it."

Her challenge is clear: examine where you’re settling—for draining jobs, uninspired relationships, or routines that feel like mere survival. Settling not only robs us of potential but also denies the world the unique gifts we could bring.

These reflections resonate deeply with me, though they also stir guilt—the kind that arises from a cacophony of competing "shoulds" in my head. I’ve been too loyal, too responsible, too underconfident, too unwilling to rock the boat (and likely too many more "too’s"). Life’s challenges and the constant effort to build resilience have, over time, chronically drained my energy.

Chronic fatigue is more than physical exhaustion—it’s a slow erosion of vitality. It’s easy to feel as though I’m running on empty, tolerating life because it feels simpler than seeking another way. But resilience is more than pushing through. It’s about pausing, recalibrating, and rediscovering what truly restores and inspires us. Rebuilding energy isn’t about returning to who we were; it’s about evolving into someone stronger, someone who honors both limitations and potential.

I find myself drawn to Andrade’s imagery of the child savoring his last cherries:

"I feel like that boy who got a bowl of cherries. At first, he gobbled them, but when he realised there were only a few left, he began to taste them intensely."

This is the shift I want to embrace—to savor the moments that matter, to taste them with intensity, and to live with the urgency of someone who knows their time is finite.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is a modern testament to this urgency and purpose. Performing 44 songs over three hours every night, she didn’t just deliver a show; she gave a piece of her soul. Watching the live stream of the tour's finale in Vancouver with my daughter felt like witnessing history unfold—proof of what happens when you live and work with passion and dedication. Sparacino’s words echo here:

"Life and work, and life and love, are not irrespective of each other. They are intrinsically linked. We have to strive to do extraordinary work, we have to strive to find extraordinary love."

This alignment of work and love, of passion and purpose, drives us toward an extraordinary life. But as Sparacino reminds us, the danger lies in settling:

"The next Michelangelo could be sitting behind a MacBook writing an invoice for paperclips because it pays the bills or because it is comfortable."

How often do we tolerate mediocrity because it feels safe, only to wake up years later wondering where the time went?

For me, resilience and energy are about breaking free from this trap. It’s about bending without breaking, savoring life’s sweetness, and striving for the extraordinary while honoring the quiet moments that sustain us. Like Andrade, I don’t want to waste time on endless meetings or the absurdities of life. My soul is in a hurry, he writes, and I feel the same urgency.

The extraordinary doesn’t have to mean performing for millions like Taylor Swift or creating masterpieces like Michelangelo. It’s about fully engaging with what lights us up. It’s about embracing the small, meaningful moments and the big, audacious dreams alike. It’s about refusing to settle, savoring every cherry in the bowl, and living with the intensity of someone who knows the value of their one, precious life.

And so, inspired by Andrade’s wisdom, Sparacino’s challenge, and Swift’s example, I’m committing to living with energy, resilience, and urgency. I don’t want to tolerate life; I want to savor it. I don’t want to settle for good enough; I want to strive for extraordinary. And most of all, I want to leave nothing undone, knowing that I poured everything I had into the things—and people—that matter most.

Remember, extraordinary isn’t about perfection or grandeur—it’s about fully engaging with the life that’s in front of us. Whether it’s pouring our heart into a project, showing up fully for our loved ones, or carving out time for what lights us up, it’s about refusing to let life slip by unnoticed.

So, as the calendar turns to 2025, I invite you to pause and reflect. What does your one precious life look like when you live it with intention, passion, and purpose? This year holds infinite potential, but only if we’re willing to embrace it fully. This doesn’t mean overhauling everything all at once. It starts with small shifts:

• Identify one area of your life that feels draining or uninspired. What’s one small step you could take to bring more energy, excitement, or alignment to it?
• Think about your own “bowl of cherries.” What moments, experiences, or people do you want to savor more deeply this year?
• Commit to pursuing one bold or extraordinary dream, no matter how small the first step may seem.

Let’s make 2025 a year where we refuse to settle, savor the sweetness, and strive for what truly matters.

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