Don't try to live your life in one day - or do

I'm a huge fan of HoJo (that's Howard Jones to you folks that didn't grow up when I did). After gluing myself to the TV during LiveAid, still one of the coolest things that ever happened in rock music, the next best thing was watching HoJo perform live at Milwaukee's SummerFest. It was particularly fun to hear him tell the stories that led to his songs, and about his life working in a factory before he became a musician full-time. I enjoy the bouncy catchiness of his fast tunes, and I often sing along. But the other day I realized that I've been fooling myself that I ever agreed with what the song, Life in One Day, is saying.

"Don't try to live your life in one day. Don't go speed your time away."

Why not? Life has always had a sense of urgency to me. Since I was in high school, I felt a constant agony that life was not happening fast enough. All the things I wanted to do. All the places I wanted to see. "Don't try to live your life in one day." You know what this type of platitude is? It's what you say to people who haven't done what they wanted. In one day. A year. Or a lifetime.

Can you imagine saying that to someone really successful? Would you tell Elon Musk, "Dude, just relax. Don't try to live your life in one day." No. You would not.

Achievers DO try to live their lives in one day. There is so much to do and not enough time to do it. That is a given, I would think. Life is short. But don't panic! I think that's what well-meaning folks intend when they say "Don't try to live your life in one day." To quell your panic. And all of those quietly inspirational suggestions about the merit of living a simple life, of being accepting, of being happy with what you have. Don't you sometimes feel conned? Be happy with what you have - that's the only way to be happy. Why? Because you should just give up that you're ever going to get what you really want? Oh, but you don't always get what you want. "You get what you need." Yeah, sure. A kick in the pants can be something I need. Some really crappy things can be defined as something I "need." I so "needed" that lesson about money by not having any. About trust by being abandoned in a restaurant by some asshole. About loyalty by being told by my boss I could easily find another job.

People that get what they want. People who are successful - (and not the "I'm happy with my average life and you can't tell me what success is - happiness is success!" Okay, you go with that) - you see I've never been okay with that, either. People who are successful feel the urgency of life and they fill it with the things that they want to do. They attack life. I can't say that I even do this. And that's why this advice, "Don't try to live your life in one day," makes me disappointed in myself. Trying to make myself feel better that it's okay to just kick back. "Life was meant to be spent farting around and don't let anyone tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut. One of my heroes and yet, not sure about that one. Of course, I've been happy and fully satisfied at times. Moments with my boyfriend or out in Nature are like this. Yet, is life really just to fart around? I don't think so. That attitude is a great way to take off the pressure, no doubt, and sometimes we DO need to reduce the pressure. Yet, we should also be using that pressure as our motivation. Because I don't think that life is about sitting around. It's about giving back. It's about experiencing as much as you can and fulfilling your promise - and your promises to yourself.

Life can't be lived in one day, 100 days, or a 100 years. So go get it.