DIY Memento Mori Calendar

Embracing our mortality is a very powerful tool for living well and focusing on what really matters, so I spent a week creating my own take on a life affirming Memento Mori Calendar.

It seems morbid, but once we move past the initial resistance, meditation on death can be both very liberating and motivating. It seems counterintuitive, but I find it anxiety relieving as well. Most of my anxieties are worries about things that might happen. Acceptance that something will absolutely happen lifts the burden from my shoulders and allows me to focus on reality, which is now.

If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and watch Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai. As of this video going live it's currently streaming on HBO MAX, but you can also find it on here to rent or buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4258rkb

I mentioned Ryan Holiday as a good source for more info if you find any of these ideas interesting.
His main channel, the Daily Stoic, is here: https://www.youtube.com/dailystoic
And his personal channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanHolidayOfficial

He has written some great books as well. My personal suggestion would be to start with: Stillness Is The Key: https://amzn.to/42bZ8Px Or even better yet, this box set of 3: https://amzn.to/3DYY9YN

Small steps every day towards finding what actually matters to you and then acting towards that end WILL positively change your life. Realizing that much of our attention is lost in this daily modern life to distraction and ultimately unimportant concerns can help us cut to the core of our experience here and live life more meaningfully.

A huge first step - less time with the damn phone.

Some simple tools to help you use your phone less:
Field Notes pocket notebooks: https://amzn.to/409nqZB
Simple alarm clock: https://amzn.to/4haO2ys
Sunrise alarm clock: https://amzn.to/48lcrOD

I'm always here if you want to say hi. Questions, comments, ideas... let 'em rip.

Be well ✌🏽