Between short and long term goals

Ever asked what you would do if you get notice that you will only have a few months left to live?

Sometimes when I get notice of critical illnesses around or when I hear from accidents then I ask this question to myself. In personal development blogs I read about how to achieve your dreams to give meaning to your life which I see somehow related.

It is somehow a question how you want to be remembered by

• your partner
• your family
• your friends
• your colleagues
• the rest of the world

If you would get notice that you just have some months left, you probably would stay next to your family or - if you are not a family being - you would probably prefer to do something "great" before you die.

Some articles tell, you should focus on these important things NOW.

The problem with this is: If you are not going to die soon then what would you live from in a few months?

My conclusion is: You should think long term in your planning and goals. But you should not invest ALL your time in that. Keep in mind that you will probably never reach your final goals. You might not get to the big outcome when your goal is or your goals are reached, so you should enjoy the journey - in the short and long term context.

But there are things that are independent from long or short term view because it affects both - the eightfold path known from Buddhism (see also at Wikipedia) - known from Buddhism but IMHO is not limited to any particular religion or philosophy.

Related posts: As it would be the last day, The power of intention, Between GTD and GHE, Get focused with 3 questions., In the present moment, The big difference of the How, Principles over rules, Create consensus.