Live Your Dash: Creating a Life of Fulfillment by Prioritizing What Matters Most

Many people spend a lot of time talking about finding more balance and fulfillment in their lives, but often the words don't translate into action.

It seems that one of the few times when we do slow down, look within ourselves and take stock of our lives is when we experience the loss of a loved one. We naturally start to reflect on our own life, our own mortality and what’s truly important to us.

One of the most poignant expressions that I have ever run across on the importance of being present in your life and prioritizing what matters most comes in the form of a poem by Linda Ellis entitled The Dash. I encourage everyone to fully engage as you read this from a place of conscious awareness and take its message to heart.

I also recommend printing this out and putting it somewhere readily accessible to you as a way of ensuring that the message stays top of mind. Some of my clients keep a copy on their refrigerator. Others post it in their office or cubicle.

One of my clients told me that she has a copy of it in a journal that she keeps at her bedside. She reads it faithfully every morning when she gets up to set her intention for the day and again at night when she goes to bed as a means of reflecting on how fully she invested her time.

I encourage you to find an approach that works best for yourself and focus on making the most of your dash.

The Dash
by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
from the beginning. . .to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth
and spoke the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars. . .the house. . .the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read,
with your life's actions to rehash. . .
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent YOUR dash?