Life is too dang short

I know it may be cliche to write on this topic at this time, but I felt like it was necessary (for my own personal development, as well as others') with everything that has happened. I've said it a million times, but I'm going to say it again...life is too dang short.

I can't even begin to pretend that I was a Kobe fan. Quite honestly, I didn't have a very good image of him in my mind for most of my life. He came off as arrogant and had some not-so-good charges filed against him during his life. But, after listening to multiple media reports about him on Sunday (and yesterday), my view has completely changed.

He was admired, loved, appreciated, cared for and adored by so many. He left behind a legacy that will, literally, never be forgotten. He was an athlete, a mentor, a businessman, a husband and a father. And he died so incredibly young. People thought of him as being old for the sport that he was in, but in reality, he had half of his life left to live.

I'm not writing this as a tribute to Kobe. As I mentioned, I wouldn't consider myself a true fan, or even a fan at all. I'm writing this to remind us that we can never take this life for granted. Kobe had 41 years on this earth. That's it...41 years. And just like that, in the blink of an eye, it's all taken from him. And the other eight people on that helicopter on Sunday, including his 13-year-old daughter. Let me repeat that...13. Years. Old.

What if we all made it a point to walk out the door every morning taking into consideration that it could be our last day on this earth? Yes, that sounds dramatic, but it's reality for more people than we like to think about. What would you have done differently today? Yesterday? What are you going to do differently tomorrow? Did you have an unnecessary argument with a family member? Or were you kind of rude to a coworker when you really had no reason to be? We don't know when our day will come. And for that reason alone, we have to do our best to live our BEST day, every day.

This story has gotten so much attention because of Kobe's celebrity. And I'm not saying it isn't deservedly so...it 100% is. But think about how many of these types of accidents happen every day across the world that get zero media attention. I think that's a large part of why we, as humans, tend to forget how precious life is; because the everyday tragedies that happen to everyday people aren't shoved in our faces by the media. It's always the extreme, earth-shattering stories that make the headlines. Let this terrible tragedy be a reminder that these horrific accidents happen to normal people regularly. There were eight "normal" people on that helicopter. And each life is just as important as the one before it.

Kobe made a lasting impact on today's society, and will likely have a lasting impact on those that come after us. He's that much of a legend. What would happen if we all tried to have that much of an impact? If that's what we all strived for? We can't all, obviously, be quite that celebrated. But how about we all try to make an impact in SOMEONE'S life every day. Just one positive impact each day. To me, that would be amazing. If that was each person's goal...to simply be a positive force in one person's life. Incredible.

Life is too dang short, you guys. It's too short to live a single day with regret or remorse. Yes, you're going to make mistakes. You're going to slip up. But it's how you move past those to then make positive changes in your life that really matters. It's extremely cliche...but live every day like it's your last. Because we literally have no idea what the big man upstairs has planned for us. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be 80 years from now. But the fact is...we don't know.

Make sure that tomorrow you won't regret something you did today.

Over the next couple of weeks, if it's in your heart, please be sure to send up some positive vibes (as I like to call them) for all of the people impacted by this accident. Not only them, but all of the people who may be impacted by everyday tragedies happening to everyday people. Thank Him for all of the blessings you've had in your life thus far; they aren't guaranteed.

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