What would you do if you only had 1 year left to live?

I don't know if you find this question as interesting as I do... I guess, for some, it might drum up the same feelings as the question: "how would you live if you had no fear?" For others, it might not be interesting at all because it would simply be a recipe to spend every dime, cheat on their spouse, run with the bulls, climb a mountain, etc.

No matter, someone posed that question to me earlier today and after I got past the morbid aspects of this question and the fear of "putting the thought out in the universe," I thought about what it would mean and what an interesting exercise this might be. Would this push me to have a sense of urgency about some of my dreams? Would this push me to have a sense of urgency about my relationships? Would this make me say and do things I would not do or say if I believe I have a lifetime to take care of business? Would this sense of urgency cause my tolerance for BS to dwindle to 0? Would I try to take immaculate care of myself? Would I try to make up for last time and would I become much more conscious of the passage of time?

OR.... would I just let time pass as it has- taking each moment as it comes without connecting one moment to the next?

I think I want to engage in this exercise and I'd like to document the experience here.. It is late and I am tired. However, tonight, I am going to think about the "ground rules" for this exercise and I am going to begin tommorow, 9/13/08.

Can I move to Hawaii?

My best friend and his amazing wife are in Hawaii right now. I am not a jealous person by nature but DAMN I wish we were there with them!! We saw them last week on the way to Hawaii (they had a long layover in LA so we picked them up and spent the day together – she FINALLY got to see the Hollywood sign (a big deal for someone from Singapore)). We had a blast during our short 6-hour break together and it made me realize how much I miss my family (blood and otherwise) on the East Coast. It also made me realize how important it is to shape your life the way YOU want it to look/be. In other words, if you love being around your close friends and outside all of the time, for instance, don’t move 3,000 miles away from everyone and take a job that forces you to be inside most of the day. Pack up your stuff and let your lifestyle determine where you work and live (we’ve all heard it said a million times - work to live rather than live to work).

So, I am declaring it here and now.. I am going to get off my butt and make things happen… I’ve charged our friends to figure out how we can live and work in Hawaii – folks do it every day! People say stuff like, “I’d be bored” or “I’d get island fever.” I don’t understand these concepts – BORED? REALLY? Well, I don’t think a lot of people really take stock of what their lives look like.. Take me for instance, I live in a city that never sleeps but I do- every single night! I don’t hang out late at night anymore. I don’t work in “the business.” What am I doing in LA? All of the things that I really enjoy – spending time with my wife and baby, walking, hiking, not rushing from place to place in my care, hanging at the beach, playing golf, etc. - are things that I can do a lot more of in a place like Hawaii.

Hold me to this promise – I am going to stop riding the bench in my own life… More about that in a later post..