Physician and speaker BJ Miller was chatting on Freakonomics Radio, and he asked what we are all doing with our guitar solo of a life. He became a triple-amputee when electrocuted on top of a train while a student at Princeton and he specializes in end-of-life care.
He talked about death being something everyone should learn about in school and how it is part of the beautiful journey of life. I’m sure he has had many conversations with those in their final days about what they would do differently if they had more time.
What are we all doing with our guitar solo? Are we playing with abandon, living out our dreams, passionate about jumping out of bed in the morning?
Do we get lost in our work because it is something as natural as breathing to us? Are we getting closer to the person we were meant to be?
As Auggie said in Wonder, “I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.”
Are we working towards getting ours?
Being true to yourself is the only way to arrive. And if applause is the outcome, that is the icing on the cake. You’ll be too engrossed in your life’s guitar solo to notice.