Five years ago, an unexpected email landed in my inbox, a digital ripple that would reshape my understanding of life’s value. It arrived as a response to my annual New Year’s tradition: a curated list of inspirational quotes, a digital offering launched precisely as the new year began.
(For those curious, here’s the latest edition for 2025!)
That particular year marked the fourth iteration of this tradition, and honestly, I was contemplating its end. The quote curation process was enjoyable, yet increasingly demanding of my time. Furthermore, the annual wrestling match with formatting a sprawling 10,000-word article for Inc.com was becoming a digital Sisyphean task. A minor tweak could unravel the HTML, leaving me in late-night coding battles while the rest of the household dreamt peacefully. The 2020 edition nearly broke me. However, fueled by investment and a healthy dose of sunk cost fallacy disregard (ironic, considering my business writing), I persevered, finalized the quotes, and scheduled its release. Then, I set it aside until the arrival of that email.
The email contained a stark confession (trigger warning: discussion of suicidal thoughts). Here’s an excerpt:
Hi Bill, You may never read this, but I wanted to thank you nonetheless. I was planning to end my life today. Tears stream as I write this. … Then, by chance, I stumbled upon your 2020 quotes article. I read every single one. You saved a life… I believe you likely saved others too. Thank you.
My response was immediate, filled with gratitude and a prompt to contact the suicide hotline. I was left pondering: What more can I do? We exchanged a few more messages. Permission was granted to share their story, albeit with personal details omitted for privacy. Eventually, the replies ceased, but I noticed a new subscriber to my newsletter, Understandably, with the same email address, a silent indication of continued readership.
Life moved forward, overshadowed by the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic. Amidst the global upheaval, a personal financial miscalculation added to the chaos. A misplaced decimal point in my tax estimations convinced me, erroneously, of impending financial ruin during a health crisis – a mathematical misadventure that sent my anxiety levels soaring. My wife remembers that period with particular fondness (or perhaps not!).
Yet, amidst the pandemic anxieties, the New Year’s email recipient occasionally crossed my mind. However, the demands of the year pushed it to the periphery until I began compiling the 2021 quote list.
You might anticipate the somber turn. Checking the email address in my reader statistics revealed no recent activity. An internet search confirmed my fears: an obituary. A wave of complex emotions washed over me. Pride and profound gratitude had initially filled me – my quote tradition had, in some way, saved a life! But now, it felt insufficient. The time between the email and the obituary was, heartbreakingly, less than a year.
Eventually, a sense of acceptance emerged. If the quotes article had granted this person even a single extra day, month, or even minute of life, it held value. This realization prompted a broader reevaluation of life’s inherent worth. My 50th birthday likely amplified this introspection. While I hope for many more years and opportunities for positive impact, the finite nature of life, like any limited resource, becomes increasingly precious.
Furthermore, I recognized that life’s value transcends circumstances. Every moment, in its essence, is valuable. Of course, we all experience moments of longing for something different: more wealth, fewer worries, greater happiness. This resonates with the timeless sentiment captured in the classic song:
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good I would call her …
This song, released three decades ago, still echoes with the perennial human desire for “more.” As someone of modest height and negligible basketball skills, the first two lines always resonated humorously. (Though, I am fortunate to have found the girl who looks good!).
You could likely craft your own contemporary “I wish” list:
I wish I was a little bit better with back-of-the-envelope math.
I wish I had discovered the magic formula to manage my anxiety and ADHD earlier.
I wish my wife and I hadn’t taken that near-20-year detour before finding our way back to each other and marriage…
But these whimsical wishes lead to a more profound point. It took me half a century to truly internalize that even the most challenging, painful experiences hold meaning and inherent value. Perhaps even the darkest moments, though that delves into a complex philosophical debate for another time. Indeed, viewing life as a gift imbues even hardship with purpose (a nod to Stephen Colbert’s wisdom).
Moreover, who can fathom the positive ripples created by the person who reached out that New Year’s Day during the extended time granted by those quotes? The possibilities are staggering.
Finally, this experience fundamentally shifted my perspective on inspirational quotes. For years, I had consistently championed two quotes as my ultimate favorites:
- “The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow.” — H.G. Wells
- “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” — Helen Keller (popularly quoted version).
Wells retains his spot; it remains profoundly insightful (as evidenced by my tax miscalculation anecdote). However, the widely circulated Helen Keller quote, while appealing, now feels somewhat contradictory to my evolving understanding. Life’s value isn’t contingent on grand adventures. Adventure holds its own merit, but it’s a separate entity.
This realization struck me powerfully. As I attempted to articulate this shift, I discovered the sentiment perfectly encapsulated in lyrics that had resided in my subconscious for decades, courtesy of 1970s sitcom nostalgia.
Prepare yourself – of all things – it’s the opening line from the theme song of the 1975 sitcom, One Day at a Time:
“This is it. This is life, the one you get.”
I doubt I was even allowed to watch that show at age five, and likely wouldn’t have been interested anyway. Yet, somehow, those words permeated my consciousness. They resonated deeply, perhaps more profoundly than for those captivated by Valerie Bertinelli in the 70s.
Regardless of whether you wish you were taller or a financial whiz, This is it! This is life!
(This quote now fittingly concludes my 365 Inspirational Quotes for 2025, accessible here. Yes, this is the second link, a gentle reminder in case it slipped your mind.)
As we embark on a new year, here are my wishes for you:
- Firstly, treasure those seemingly random pop culture references. They can unexpectedly become profoundly meaningful.
- Secondly, may you experience moments of serendipitous feedback, discovering that your actions have positively impacted others in unforeseen ways.
- Finally, as we navigate the year ahead, with its inevitable highs and lows, may you find reasons for gratitude and inspiration in each and every day.
(No “7 other things” today; this reflection felt complete. Thank you for reading.)
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