The Rhythm of Life

When I was twelve years old, I used to sing in the school choir, and often we would sing at funerals. Whether or not I knew the person who had died, funerals have always had a deep impact on my life. Every time I go to a funeral, or hear that someone I know has died, I always become more determined not to waste my life, not to take life for granted.

Every now and then I like to take a walk in a cemetery. Each tombstone tells a story. Some of the people were laid to rest last year, others a hundred years ago. Some of them lived for ninety-five years, others for twenty-five years. But I can hear all of them calling out to me in unison, sharing with me a message: “Life is short. Do not waste your life. Live life passionately.”

Somewhere deep within you there is a desire to dedicate yourself to becoming the-best-version-of-yourself. I hope you feel that desire stirring within you. Foster that desire. Nurture that desire. Adopt habits that help you rekindle that desire. Otherwise your life is in danger of becoming an utter waste.

You will become like a candle in the wind, a victim of circumstance, and every time the wind stops blowing you will wish you had placed your essential purpose at the center of your life. But the winds of life will blow once more, changing direction and distracting you again from what is really important. You will get caught up in the episodic cycle of the modern world, and your life will bear no signs of continuity or consistency. You will achieve things, no doubt, and you will have things, but you will be restless and anxious. The sense that there must be more will haunt you continually, the feeling that something is missing will linger on the edge of everything you do. And many years from now, in the dim light of your distant memory, you will remember the dreams you ignored and abandoned. You will feel a pain that cannot be eased or consoled. Regret over things done can be eased over time. Regret over things left unsaid and undone is inconsolable.

Now is your time. You have one life, and it is short. Use it powerfully. Celebrate it as a precious gift. Don’t allow fear to paralyze you. As Goethe wrote, “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.”

Itzhak Perlman is one of the finest violinists alive today. Several years ago, Perlman agreed to attend a charity reception after one of his concerts in Vienna. Tickets for the champagne reception were sold for the equivalent of five hundred American dollars per guest.

At the reception, while the guests mingled, Itzhak Perlman stood in a roped-off area flanked by security guards. One by one the guests were led into the roped-off area and introduced to Perlman. As one man entered the roped-off area, he stretched out his hand, shook hands with the violinist, and said, “Mr. Perlman, you were phenomenal tonight. Absolutely amazing.” Perlman smiled and thanked the man graciously for the compliment. The man continued, “All my life I have had a great love of the violin, and I have heard every great living violinist, but I have never heard anyone play the violin as brilliantly as you did tonight.” Perlman smiled again but said nothing, and the man continued, “You know, Mr. Perlman, I would give my whole life to be able to play the violin like you did tonight.”

Perlman smiled once more and said, “I have.”

That is the difference. While some of us are sitting around letting the sand in the hourglass of life empty, thinking, I would give my whole life to be able to do that, or, I hope that happens to me one day, people like Itzhak Perlman are getting the job done. They are giving their whole lives to the magnificent and meaningful pursuit of their dreams.

I have noticed that all men and women have dreams. I have noticed that some people achieve their dreams, and for others they seem always out of reach. Why is this? Does God have favorites? I -don’t think so. The reason is that some people dream and wait for their dreams to come true. Theirs is a vain type of dreaming. They look at others, whom they consider fortunate or lucky, and they think, I hope that happens to me one day! Other people listen to the movements of their hearts and dream their dreams by listening to the gentle voice within. They commit themselves to excellence, and armed with their dreams as a blueprint for their lives, they go out onto the stage of life chasing their rainbow, living life passionately. Aided by a mysterious and miraculous power that I can describe only as the grace of God, they make their dreams come true.

Life is too short to be lived halfheartedly and far too short to lose yourself in the day-to-day drudgery and the hustle and bustle. Dedicate yourself to the things that deserve your dedication.