Things That Matter Quotes

“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing. So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it…. Life is long if you know how to use it.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“See also Bronnie Ware, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2012). The five regrets are as follows: (1) “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” (2) “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.” (3) “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.” (4) “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.” (5) “I wish that I had let myself be happier.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“We are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it…. Life is long if you know how to use it. —Seneca, “On the Shortness of Life”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“If we wait to be healthy, perfect, and prepared in every way, we’ll never accomplish anything.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“Owning less is not about owning nothing. It’s about owning the right things—and the right number of them.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“cases, we don’t feel stressed about money because we don’t have enough; we feel stressed about money because we simply want more of it. We don’t feel stressed about money because we don’t have enough; we feel stressed about money because we simply want more of it.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“Let’s not pursue happiness. Let’s pursue purpose…and allow happiness to come to us.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“If we wait to be healthy, perfect, and prepared in every way, we’ll never accomplish anything. Everything valuable that has ever been done was done by someone with flaws and wounds.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“Not every fear is wrong, but every fear does result in an opposing desire. We can never eliminate fear, but we can prioritize fears so that our fear of not living up to our fullest potential outweighs whatever fears keep us from taking action and making a difference. That’s courage: action taken not in the absence of fear but in the face of fear. Or, in the immortal words of the Great Wizard of Oz, “True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“Overcoming fear is not a onetime achievement but a lifelong skill.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“A vow to live every day as if it’s my one and only chance to make a mark, because IT IS. To live my life on purpose. To stop wasting time on things that don’t matter. To step out of my comfort zone. To live with passion and courage of my convictions. To let go of the “what if’s.” To never, ever give up even when things get tough. Because at the end of the day life is far too precious a gift to squander.[10]”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“Right before you die, you’ll realize your whole life was about loving people. And you watched too much television. —Donald Miller”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“I’ve accomplished way more with my life than I ever thought I would. It’s not because I’m special. It’s because I’m intentional.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“Make a point to read books from previous centuries, because all living writers are swimming in the same cultural and ideological currents. But a book from centuries ago will come from a different perspective and will challenge your thinking in new ways.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

“Omaha native Paul Stratman spent forty-four years in the electrical trade, laying wire, managing people, and eventually doing 3D modeling. Then he retired. Dissatisfaction soon set in. “My wife had a long list of things she wanted done around the house,” Paul said, “but that took me less than a year to complete. And I certainly didn’t want to just sit around the house doing nothing for the rest of my life. I wanted to help people.” About this time, he heard about a group of retired tradesmen in the Omaha area who call themselves the Geezers. Several times each week, for a half day at a time, a group of five to ten Geezers meets in North Omaha (a poorer part of town) to rebuild a house for later use by a nonprofit. “Currently, we’re rebuilding a home that will house six former inmates,” Paul told me. “We’re providing the home, and the nonprofit will provide the mentorship when the gentlemen move in.” The goal is to help formerly incarcerated people build better lives and stay out of jail. The rate of recidivism in the United States reaches as high as 83 percent.[12] “Our goal is zero percent among the men who will occupy this home when we are finished,” Paul said. On a previous occasion, after the devastating 2019 midwestern floods, Paul was working as a volunteer in the area to restore electricity to many of the homes when he received an urgent phone call concerning a couple in their fifties whose home had been destroyed in the flood. The couple were living in a camper with their teenage daughter and three grandkids (whose mother was unable to take care of them) while they tried to get enough money to fix their house. Six people in a tiny camper! The couple were worried because they had been informed that someone from Nebraska’s Division of Children and Family Services would be coming to inspect the living conditions for the three grandkids. The couple feared their grandkids were going to be taken from them. They were almost frantic to prevent that. Would Paul help? Paul went right to work. He completed the electrical wiring and safety renovations inside the flood-damaged home, free of charge, in time for it to pass inspection by CFS. The family stayed together. Reflecting on this experience, Paul said, “When you can help people that are so desperate, and can make a little difference in their lives—people who have put their lives on hold to care for the needs of someone else—it is moving. That was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had and some of the most meaningful work I’ve ever accomplished.” Paul has retired from his job, but he hasn’t stopped working for others.”
― Joshua Becker, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life