Today, for some unbeknownst reason, I was listening to a podcast. It happens even to the best of us, sometimes. In it, the main theme was around death, and what was worth living. It is a very typical topic, and one I do think of from time to time, and even though it had an interesting twist on the subject at hand (what would you do if you had six months to live, instead of the more traditional one day), it did not offer up any truly interesting or novel point of view.

And yet, it resonated with me. It sent me thinking, and eventually writing, because even though I think I know what my priorities are and what makes life worth living, a look at my day to day life tells me that I am not quite there yet.

Because, let’s face it, if I had only six months to live, I would do no incredible feat. I do not think I would even write a book. I would just live my live as normally as possible, and relish on that. As I have said many times over, life is best at its most mundane, because if you can find the magic in the routine, you can find it anywhere.

As I said, this is a topic I have already reflected on, and I even pride myself on knowing perfectly what every part of my life should point to (and of course I keep extensive notes on that). I divide my life in four equally important pillars: faith, family, friends and work, and I make sure that every minute of my life is devoted to one of those. Or at least I try.

Looking at my routine these past few weeks, it is clear not everything follows that neat plan of mine. And it is not even because of the typical “life gets in the way”, but rather out of my own stupid laziness. And yes, I am being a bit harsh on myself. Someone has to be.

Whether this is just a waypoint in the road of life, with a clear path upwards following, or the wrong path altogether, only time will say. What I do know for sure is that if in 6 months, or 10 or tomorrow I die, I know that I will die fighting.

That, more than anything else, is what motivates me forward. Whatever happens, whichever the test life puts in my path, I know that I can continue fighting. That every act, not matter the size, counts. That every step forward is worth a hundred steps backwards. That, when the objective of perfection is unattainable, the goal becomes to continue fighting until the end, no matter when it comes.

A new metric for life: did I fight today?