Inspirational, Informative, and General Reading

Are You Living Life to the Fullest?

by Steve Goodier

One night, a Dodgers farm club coached by Tommy Lasorda was leading Tucson by one run in the eighth inning, but Tucson had the bases loaded with two outs. According to Don Martin in TEAM THINK (Penguin books, Ltd., 1993), Lasorda decided to pep up his pitcher, a left-hander named Bobby O'Brien. Lasorda slowly walked out to the mound and said, "Bobby, if the heavens opened up right now and you could hear the voice of the Big Dodger in the sky and he said to you, 'Bobby, you're going to die and come up to heaven, and this is the last batter you're ever going to face,' how would you like the meet the Lord, getting this man out or letting him get a hit from you?"

"I'd want to face him getting this guy out," O'Brien replied.

"That's right," said Lasorda, "you would. Now, how do you know that after you throw the next pitch you're not going to die? This might really be the last hitter you're ever going to face and if it is, you'll want to face the Lord getting him out."

Lasorda figured it was just about the best pep talk ever and he strutted confidently back to the dugout. O'Brien wound up and threw the pitch. The batter lined a base hit to right field, knocking in two runs.

Lasorda was beside himself. "Bobby, what happened?" he asked.

"It's like this, Skip," said O'Brien. "You had me so worried about dying I couldn't concentrate on the batter!"

Many people are worried about dying. Their worry can keep them from fully enjoying life in the present. But for other people, the knowledge that they will die someday actually motivates them to live more fully!

Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, who has extensively studied death and dying, put it like this: "It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had."

It's true, we have no way of knowing when our time is up. But we have today. Will you live it as if it were the only day you had?

See Also:

Dealing with Trials & Tribulations
Look on your life as a lesson that your soul is learning, a spiritual lesson that transcends the intellect.

Life is a Juggling Act
A Speech by the CEO of Coca Cola Company. You must strive for balance in your life by juggling work, family, health, friends and spirit.

Moments In Life
There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!