My Story
From my heart to yours, let me tell you a little about how I got here as well and the purpose behind this very personal mission.
For most people, Life is Short is a common cliche. For me, it became a reality when I learned there’s a 50% chance my life may be cut short by a cruel & rare degenerative disease. It was a curve ball I never saw coming. In a heartbeat, the future I'd always envisioned for myself had become so uncertain by something completely out of my control. The path of my life was altered by no choice of my own, simply by my genetic fate. I felt powerless and scared. That was my first wake-up call that: LIFE IS SHORT AND TIME IS PRECIOUS. The clock is ticking...
Then one of my closest and dearest friends for over 20 years died suddenly and unexpectedly at 37-years old—no warning signs, no time to even say goodbye. Here one day; gone the next. It was a shocking realization that NONE of us knows what the future holds. Life can change in an instant for ANY of us. Tomorrow isn't promised. That was another wake-up call that: LIFE IS SHORT AND TIME IS PRECIOUS FOR ALL OF US... We need to GET TO LIVING because NONE of us knows how much time we'll be given...
WE NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH TIME WE HAVE LEFT SO WE NEED TO CELEBRATE LIFE FULLY NOW.
The uncertainty of life hit me hard again when my dad died. I’ll never forget the moment opening up the freezer and seeing the birthday cake I had baked for him sitting there, waiting to be eaten. My heart sunk realizing my dad would never taste his favorite homemade angel food cake again. We always expected to have more time together, but life changed so quickly, and he never got the chance to celebrate another birthday. That birthday cake was another shocking reminder that life can change so quickly for any of us. We are not promised another birthday. Honestly, we are not promised another day. We can't assume we'll always have more time and we can't keep putting things off for someday. Even though research shows that an alarming number of us--94% of us--are waiting to start LIVING and die with so much life unlived!! Are you part of the 94%? Please don't wait to Eat the CAKE! Celebrate life and live fully now!
LIFE IS SUCH A PRECIOUS GIFT AND MOST OF US TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. TOMORROW IS NEVER GUARANTEED.
THE TRUTH IS: LIFE IS SHORT for ALL of us. We need to GET TO LIVING because none of us knows when our time will be up.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED:
THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE SHOULDN'T SCARE US; IT SHOULD INSPIRE US TO GET TO LIVING!
BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING MUCH SADDER THAN DYING...
THE PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: DYING IS NOT THE SADDEST THING TO HAPPEN TO US...
My entire perspective on living and dying changed after my dad died. While going through some of my dad’s, I found a notebook tucked away in a dresser drawer and it was filled with painful regrets about how he had used his time, wishing he had done things differently, but now it was too late. I will never forget that moment. That’s when I realized that we have it backwards/wrong:
WE SHOULDN'T BE AFRAID OF DYING; WE SHOULD BE ARAID OF REGRETTING THE WAY WE LIVED!
There’s nothing as painful as getting to the end of your life (no matter how long or how short) and wishing you would have done so many things differently, but now it’s too late. Realizing you missed the chance to make changes when you still had time and wasted so much time on the wrong things... Thinking you were going to live forever...
I truly think my dad left an important message behind for ALL of us in that notebook: You're not going to live forever, and it goes fast! Reflect and make changes BEFORE it's too late.
MY MISSION: (A DEEPER MISSION:)
LIFE IS SHORT... GET TO LIVING!
MAKE YOUR TIME TRULY COUNT.
YOU ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME LEFT. USE IS WISELY.
My dad's notebook has sent me on a journey to try to live the rest of my life and time as meaningfully as possible, while helping others do so too. To learn how we can fill our lives with more LIVING and less REGRET. If we were truly honest with ourselves, society conditions us in a way that most of us end up walking the same well-worn path to regret just like my dad (wasting so much precious time on the wrong things) and not realizing it until it's too late. Taking our time for granted... Thinking we're going to live forever... In dad's honor, I'm on a mission to change that.
Here's the truth: We're all living on limited time here. The clock is ticking. We only have so many days left on this earth. We have to use them meaningfully and use them well. The one thing we can never get more of or get back once it's gone is our time. My dad would tell us to use it wisely NOW and not waste it. It's the most precious resource we have.
Remember, we never know how much time we have left. And that's okay...
THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE IS ACTUALLY A GIFT. IT'S NOT SOMETHING TO FEAR; IT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO EMBRACE TO HELP US LIVE MORE MEANINGFULLY EVERY SINGLE DAY WHILE WE ARE HERE.
DYING SHOULDN'T SCARE US; IT SHOULD MOTIVATE US TO GET TO LIVING! TO MAKE EVERY DAY TRULY COUNT! We can't control dying, but we can control LIVING! That's where our power lies- in how meaningfully we live every day/the time we are given. We can't control the length of our lives, but we can control the depth and fullness of them. The problem is, so few of us are actually LIVING! I hope to change that.
You've got this ONE life to live. ONE chance. Take an honest look: Are you LIVING a life you won't REGRET? Or are there changes you need to make NOW before it's too late?
The time you have left is a gift. Don't waste a single minute of it. Each day we are still here is a bonus day. You don't have time to wait!
LIFE IS SHORT...GET TO LIVING! Make the rest of your time truly count!
With all my love,
Julie
Am I LIVING a Life I Won't REGRET? Find Out Here.
JULIE'S FULL BIO:
(The Professional Stuff)
Julie Clark Lingen is a national award-winning, 2x bestselling author on a mission to help others live more meaningfully NOW and have fewer regrets in the end. Her passion is helping others make their time truly count and make changes (before it's too late) to live a life they won't regret. Julie’s passion and urgency for life comes from learning she is living 50% at-risk for a cruel terminal illness that could start cutting her life short at any time. It has made her more determined than ever to live every day to the fullest and inspire others to do so as well with a reminder that LIFE IS SHORT for all of us. None of us knows how much time we'll be given so we need to GET TO LIVING! And make our time truly count!
Julie's entire perspective on living and dying changed when her dad died and she found a journal he'd written in filled with regrets wishing he had used his time differently, but now it was too late. It was that moment when she realized we have it backwards: We shouldn't be afraid of dying; we should be afraid of regretting the way we lived. We can't control dying, but we can control LIVING! In memory of her dad, Julie has launched a mission dear to her heart to inspire others to reflect on how they are living (or not living), and make meaningful changes, BEFORE it’s too late. It has also been the inspiration for her upcoming book and podcast: LIFE IS SHORT...GET TO LIVING: Lessons We All Need to Learn Before It’s Too Late, where she shares wisdom and lessons to help us all live more meaningfully and have less regret.
Julie's passion for helping others live life to the fullest is at the heart of everything she does. Her first best-selling book, Inspirational Coffee Breaks for Women: 12 Ground Rules for Pouring Your Heart into Life captured the hearts of readers across the country, becoming an Amazon.com bestseller and being named a finalist in the prestigious National Best Books Awards from USA Book News which honors the most outstanding books in the self-improvement genre. It also received the National Indie Excellence Award recognizing the "best of the best" in book publishing. It’s a dose of inspiration for the heart and soul. In it she shares her “Ground Rules” for Life and provides a one-of-a-kind, coffee-themed approach to personal growth, fulfillment and savoring each day to the fullest. She is also a contributing author to the #1 bestselling book: Reach Your Greatness, where she and other top thought-leaders and authors share their secrets for living an extraordinary life. Through her writing, speaking, podcast, courses and inspirational product line, Julie hopes to motivate more people to live a life they won't regret.
Julie has been honored with the Young Women of Excellence Award from the Sales & Marketing Executives, Inc. of Sioux Falls, SD, given to celebrate women who influence the lives of other women with their integrity and accomplishments. She was also named the recipient of the Horizon Award from Augustana University, recognizing alumni who have made outstanding achievements in career and service to their community. Julie loves spending time with family and friends, being outside in nature, watching sunsets and sunrises, road trips, adventures and trying new things. She tries to spend as much time as she can heart-to-heart with others, laughing and making memories with those she loves most. Her favorite place to be is at home with her loving husband, Brad, who brings her first cup of coffee to her every morning and also dedicates time raising money to find a cure for Huntington's Disease. They live in Sioux Falls, SD. Julie is constantly inspired by the stories, life lessons and wisdom of others.