Do you think life is unpredictable? Is your future still a mystery to you? If so, our list of common life events may change the way you think about fate and the impact following your destiny will have on your life.
Although many people believe that life is random game of chance, we think the dice are loaded with a list of common life events. Your actions bring about or prevent future events. Have kids and your life will be filled with diapers, scraped knees and school plays. Get married and your life will be filled with anniversaries and compromises.
You may not be able to predict when they happen, but we think many of life's common events can be anticipated and prepared for. Choosing your own destiny does not mean you lose out on life's sweetest events -- it just means you take an active hand in bringing about the ones you want and preventing the ones you don't.
So here is out take on the common events that come with the box of life and are part of most modern lives ...
Growing Up
Learning how to fit into your family
Learning how to survive in the world you are born into
Testing the boundaries of authority (known as the terrible twos)
Learning how the world works by getting into every cupboard, dropping things to see how gravity works, and reaching to touch a hot stove
Going to school
Making friends and enemies, and learning how to tell the two apart
Learning the norms and what is taboo in your culture
Preparing For A Successful Life
Struggling with figuring out who you are and who you want to become
Watching them grow, bandaging scrapped knees, going to school plays, science fairs and chairing PTA meetings
Saving for their vocational training or college
Staying Healthy
Getting scraped knees and cavities
Catching sniffles, colds and flus and recovering from them
Dealing With A Health Crisis
Surviving a health emergency or healing crisis
Surviving a potentially life threatening disease
Coping With The Death of Loved Ones
Caring for, watching over and mourning the death of loved ones (parents, close older relatives, siblings, best friends, co-workers, children and grandchildren)
Going Through A Mid Life Assessment
Undergoing a crisis to bring about life transforming changes
Taking time to examine your life, think about past choices and realize who you have become
Re-figuring out who you are and want to become
Discovering what really brings you happiness
Growing Older
Preparing for retirement
Saving enough to stop working and still live comfortably
Dealing with the impact of lifestyle choices in the form of health issues
Gaining and sharing life experiences and the wisdom you have acquired
Managing your property and estate
Dying & Passing On
Preparing for disabilities and death
Settling your affairs, resolving open issues and finalizing the disposition of your estate
Saying goodbye to loved ones
Experiencing death and passing on to the next adventure
Reading through this long list can give you a new perspective of the major events in your life. Perhaps what defines us more than the events we experience, is how we experience these events. We can't avoid death, but we can prepare to meet it. And knowing that our time with loved ones will end and our choices do matter can make us think more clearly about how to best invest the time and free will we have.
