Respice finem

Consider the end.

…loosely translated from Latin, it means look to the end, or consider the end.

Interpretation is varied, and context can change the meaning of this simple phrase, but I believe it’s a valuable reminder of the impermanence of life and how each of us fit into this world. 

Whatever I do, whatever choices I’m about to make, I try to remember it.

Thinking about one’s own death shouldn’t be scary. It’s the only thing we know for sure will happen to all of us. So I try to keep life simple, soak up the ephemeral, and let this phrase be a mantra: a reminder to get outside, tell people you love them, express your creativity, and collect experiences, not stuff.

I use my preoccupation with mortality to my advantage.

To more frequently consider the end.