Numbers That Can Change Your Life

7, 10-10-10 and 1440 – Numbers that can change your life if you are open to it.

Two years ago today my father-in-law Harry passed away. It's powerful to be with someone who knows he is nearing the end of his life and to hear that person's wisdom as he reflects on his life. I will never forget the insight Harry shared with us during his last days. After 81+ years, his words were simple and yet profound, “Life is short, and life is precious. The three most important things in life are faith, family and friends.”

We all get busy and sometimes we have more than our fair share of challenges thrown at us. When I find myself struggling I go back to Harry’s words.

1440: I remind myself that life is short – there are only 1,440 minutes in each day and no one knows how many days we will be given on this Earth, so we owe it to ourselves to make each day count.

Each of us gets to decide for ourselves what our values and priorities are. I share my father-in-law’s view regarding the importance of faith, family and friends so when I find myself faced with major life decisions or simply with not enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done I think about my values as they relate to my priorities. And then I apply the rule of 10-10-10™ as described by Suzy Welch in her book by the same title.

10-10-10: Here's how it works. Every time you find yourself in a situation where there appears to be no solution that will make everyone happy, ask yourself three questions:

1. What are the consequences of my decision in 10 minutes?

2. In 10 months?

3. And in 10 years?

I know from conversations I had with my father-in-law that had he known about and applied the rule of 10-10-10 in making some of the big decisions of his life he would have made different decisions – that’s not my opinion, he shared his biggest regrets with my husband and me as his days grew short and he reflected on his life.

7: As I created Life1440 in the years following my step-mom’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, I realized there are 7 Truths™ that are universally true and when embraced and applied to your life have the power to create the sense of happiness and fulfillment for which most people long.

There are 1,440 minutes in each day. This is true for everyone – no matter who you are, where you live or what you do.
Although people typically don’t like to talk about it, everyone has a limited number of days on this Earth and no one knows how many days they will be given, so it’s critical that you make each day count.
Your life is the culmination of how you use the 1,440 minutes you are given each day.
If the life you are living is not in sync with the life you desire, it simply means that you have not yet learned how to lead your life in a way that will produce the results you desire. It does NOT mean you are a bad person or somehow flawed.
If you are open to learning then as George Eliot said, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
The bottom line is that you are the CEO of your life. It’s your life.
Life is a series of choices that in big ways and small ways impact the quality and direction of your life. As CEO of your life, one of the most powerful choices you make is: Will you create the life you want or settle for what is?

You don’t have to wait for a fatal diagnosis to reflect on your life and think about the future you want to create. I like to think of today as Harry’s liberation day – the day he broke free of the cancer that had invaded his body. I pray today will be your liberation day – the day you embrace the 7 Truths and apply them to your life, break free from what is holding you back or keeping you stuck and create the life you dream of experiencing.

- Lisa Johnson, Founder of Life1440

Posted on: 10/17/18