My Story
From my heart to yours, let me tell you a little about how I got here as well and the purpose behind this very personal mission.
For most people, Life is Short is a common cliche. For me, it became a reality and a way of life when I learned there’s a 50% chance my life may be cut short by a cruel & rare degenerative disease. It was a curve ball I never saw coming. In a heartbeat, the future I'd always envisioned for myself had become so uncertain by something completely out of my control. The path of my life was altered by no choice of my own, simply by my genetic fate. I felt powerless and scared. That was my first wake-up call that: LIFE IS SHORT AND TIME IS PRECIOUS. The clock is ticking...
Life has thrown me many more curveballs over the years losing four of my dearest friends and family, suddenly and unexpectedly —no warning signs, no time to even say goodbye. Here one day; gone the next. It was a shocking realization that NONE of us knows what the future holds. And NONE of us is promised tomorrow. Life can change in an instant for ANY of us. Those experiences became another wake-up call that: LIFE IS SHORT AND TIME IS PRECIOUS FOR ALL OF US... We need to GET TO LIVING because NONE of us knows how much time we'll be given...
It snapped me into this reality: We need to remember that there's a clock ticking for each of us that we cannot see. Every day is a gift.
The Heart of My Mission:
YOU'RE BUSY, BUT ARE YOU
LIVING?
PS: I've learned that most of us are not...
THE LIFE-ALTERING PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: JUST BECAUSE WE'RE BUSY, DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE LIVING...
From my heart to yours, let me tell you the purpose behind this very personal LIVING mission. My dad's dying taught me many life-changing lessons, but one of the most important and perspective-changing ones came after he passed. While going through some of my dad’s things after he had passed, I found a notebook tucked away in a dresser drawer and it was filled with regret for how he wished he'd used his time differently, realizing he'd lost so much time to the wrong things but now it was too late. That he had gotten so busy making a living that he'd forgot to make a life. Wishing he hadn't got so busy making a living that he forgot to make a life. But now it was too late.
The words that caught my attention were:
“I cried a little bit today.” “I have a lot of years to make up for lost time.” “I guess the time is getting shorter for me so it doesn’t mean anything now.” “I thought I would live forever.” “ It goes fast.” “Please help me not to be so busy making a living, I forgot to make a life.”
I will never forget that moment. It hit me like a total gut punch and really woke me up. That moment made me realize just how easy it is to get so busy and distracted that we miss/neglect truly LIVING. Losing so much time to the wrong things and not even realizing it.) That’s when I realized just how easy it is to go through our busy, distracted lives and miss truly LIVING, without even realizing it. It's even harder now in today's digitally distracted age. We have it wrong: JUST BECAUSE WE'RE BUSY, DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE LIVING!
That moment got me thinking about my own life, and asking myself something I'd never asked before, "Am I really LIVING? Or am I just really busy? And how do we make sure we are using our time wisely and not wasting it on the wrong things? How do we make sure we’re ‘busy’ with the right things?” It sent me on this journey.
And how do can I make sure I am spending my time on what matters most and not wasting so much on the wrong things? And how do we make sure we are using our precious time wisely in a world that is filled with constant busyness, distractions, scrolling, and hustling? And not lose so much of it to the wrong things. How do I make sure I’m ‘busy’ optimizing the right things and minimizing the wrong? I thank dad for giving me that gift of reflecting on my LIVING (because it's changed the way I live).
That’s the moment that sent me on this LIVING journey.
THAT JOURNAL IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS HE LEFT BEHIND. It changed the way I live. I truly think my dad left an important message for ALL of us in that notebook: Are you truly LIVING? Or are you just busy?
***It's easy to be BUSY, but not truly LIVING.***
Here’s the truth and lesson from dad: Just because we’re busy, doesn’t mean we’re LIVING. Busyness is life’s ultimate distraction. Don’t mistake BUSYNESS for LIVING. If we don’t prioritize LIVING it simply doesn’t happen. We have to HIGHLY INTENTIONAL with our LIVING. Especially in a world where Our DEFAULT PATH IS BUSY (and distracted).
If we’re really honest with ourselves, most of us live the same as my dad, paying very little attention to what we’re focusing our time and energy on. Not realizing until it’s too late how much time we spent on the wrong things… That’s why I put together The LIVING Roadmap/Assessment for us and helps you become more self-aware of which direction you are heading and how to value your time more wisely. (How do we know what is time well spent and time wasted? THERE ARE 2 PATHS WE CAN TAKE THROUGH LIFE. I’M GOING TO/ I WILL REVEAL THOSE FOR YOU HERE. WHAT PATH ARE YOU ON? I PUT TOGETHER A FRAMEWORK OFFERS A UNIQUE AND POWERFUL PERSPECTIVE.
My dad isn't the only one. In fact, one of people's biggest regrets at the end of their lives is wishing they hadn't worked so much at the expense of their actual life. It's common for any of us in a busy life to let LIVING slip away from us. LIVING is a choice. We have to choose wisely and choose intentionally. Which are you choosing?
It's easy to assume that because we're busy, we must be LIVING, but that is not the case.
Grab your free LIVING Assessment: Really LIVING or Really Busy? Choose Wisely
What Path Are You On? What Will Your Destiny Be? Grab your LIVING Roadmap to see which direction you are heading.
**I'VE CREATED A COUPLE SPECIAL FREE RESOURCES TO TRY TO HELP US ON OUR LIVING JOURNEY.**
The honest truth is: A lot of us are missing our lives. My dad isn't alone. We've gotten so busy striving, scrolling and distracting, that we're missing out on truly LIVING! We aren't focusing on the things that truly matter most and bring us deep meaning and fulfillment. We don't want to miss the LIVING of our life. We have to intentionally prioritize LIVING or we will inevitably miss it.
We’ve got to be really intentional with our LIVING in a world especially in a world where our default is busy and distracted.
If we're really honest with ourselves, most of us live our life just like my dad. Wasting so much time on the wrong things... (Time we can never get back.) Thinking we're going to live forever... It's easy to miss our life thinking you'll get to it later or someday. Not realizing that any day could be our last...
I feel like my dad's most important lessons keep coming. Most recently, I was standing next to my dad's gravesite in our beautiful country cemetery and in the distance watching my dear cousin bury his sweet wife at only 37-years old, passing suddenly and unexpectedly after her heart simply stopped without any warning. Only 6 months earlier, I was standing beside the bedside of a dear friend holding her hand as she breathed her final breath due to something eerily similar. Those gut-wrenching moments snapped me back into reality again: We need to remember that tomorrow isn't promised to any of us. Any day could be our last. Every day is a gift. (Yet most of us take them for granted.) There is an invisible clock ticking for each of us that we cannot see. We need to Get to LIVING because none of us knows when our time will be up. Dying shouldn't scare us; it should only inspire us to focus even deeper on what matter most: LIVING! Dying helps us realize the sacredness and value of our time. Embracing the fact that we all are dying helps us focus more on LIVING. (That's one of the reasons I've started my Daily LIVING Bucket List practice to keep me focused on the present and remembering to always make time for what matters most and makes us feel most fully alive: LIVING. It's changed my life for the better. You can get a copy of what I use here.) It's become my secret weapon for LIVING every day more meaningfully and purposefully. I think it's a gift we can give ourselves each day for LIVING in the moment.
**MOST OF US ARE LIVING FOR THE NEXT MOMENT INSTEAD OF LIVING THE ONE WE ARE IN.** DLBL
Those moments have made me even more grateful for the gift of another day of LIVING. It made me realize the beauty and gift that every day is. Approximately 170,000 people die daily worldwide and do not wake up to the gift of a new day. If we are given another day of LIVING, then truly embrace it. That fired something up in my heart. To want to enjoy the moments of the day with real presence, vitality and aliveness. I started keeping a Daily LIVING Bucket List to give myself the gift of LIVING each day. Otherwise we get BUSIER AND BUSIER, and start moving through our days (and life) so quickly that one day blends right into the next. We have so short of time left. Don't let our days blur together. (Another one of people's biggest regrets is not letting themselves be happier and enjoy their life more.) Enjoy a little bit more LIVING every day, week and month. Amidst the busyness, we have to prioritize LIVING. So many people go throughout their lives never truly LIVING. (Because we've never learned to prioritize it.) We've got to teach ourselves to prioritize LIVING into our busy days or it simply doesn't happen. (The LIVING Journal) If we don't intentionally PRIORITIZE LIVING, then we by default, unintentionally prioritize REGRET.
Most of us have a to-do a list mile long, but where on that includes LIVING? Another regret is not being more present for their life, wishing they'd let themselves be happier and felt more fully alive. To feel more alive each day and focus on what matters most, keep a Daily LIVING Bucket List-6 daily habits to make you feel more fully alive. It's a simple, but powerful routine. Grab yours here. (Don't get so busy you miss LIVING. We always have time for what matters most.) Helps prioritize what's most important: LIVING. Every day is a new day to Get to LIVING!
I deeply believe that life is short, time is precious and that each of our days really matters. Sometimes when we're busy they can all seem so filled with distractions, we can forget the preciousness of each week. Let's not forget that every day is a gift. You're not going to live forever, and it goes fast. Reflect and make changes BEFORE it's too late. Make sure you're busy with the right things: LIVING. Dying is inevitable; LIVING is optional.
(If we were truly honest with ourselves, society conditions us in a way that most of us end up walking the same well-worn path just like my dad wasting so much precious time on the wrong things, getting so busy making a living that we neglect actually LIVING, and not realizing it until it's too late. Taking our life for granted thinking we're going to live forever... I'm on a mission to change that. I'm on a personal mission to bring LIVING back at a time when most of us have started missing it.
We have been taught to build our lives around busyness, striving, activity and scrolling and not LIVING. Busyness is what makes us feel productive, but LIVING is what makes you feel fully ALIVE and your life feel more meaningful. Something so many of us have started unintentionally neglecting. Why I think we've started facing a full-on LIVING Crisis.)
MY MISSION: (A DEEPER MISSION:)
GET TO LIVING!
FOCUSING ON WHAT MATTER MOST & LIVING EVERY DAY MORE MEANINGFULLY AS A GIFT.
A DEEPER, MORE MEANINGFUL WAY OF LIVING.
As odd as it may sound, my passion for LIVING has been inspired by my dad's dying. Seeing life through the lens of death has changed the way I live my life and how I spend my time. There were lessons I learned from that time that forever changed my life. It gave me a unique perspective we don't typically get to see. Dying has a way of showing us what truly matters most in a way that nothing else can. I felt like I gained years of wisdom during that time. There were certain moments with my dad that inspired a deeper, more meaningful way of LIVING. It made me see what truly matters most and how most of us take those things for granted while we live. There were certain lessons I learned from that time and ah-ha moment that forever changed my life. It taught me so much about life, presence, awareness and what really matters.
I kind of realized I think my dad left behind a gift for all of us and how to unlock the true power of LIVING. What originally started out as sharing the perspective shifting lessons I learned during my dad’s dying days became a much deeper gift for LIVING. It's what inspired the new book.
That experience more than anything else has changed how I see and live my life. I got really clear on what matters. It not only changed my life; it deepened and shifted my entire LIVING. How? It taught me to live with greater love and connection, kindness and compassion, wholeness and prioritization, expression and emotion, courage and growth, presence and gratitude. It made me realize the true power of our love, of our impact, of valuing our life, of our words, of our courage, and of our focus in a way that nothing else ever has. The gift of deeper LIVING is the greatest gift my dad could give me--could give US actually. I came out of it with 6 guiding principles for LIVING.
Though one of the hardest times of my life, my dad's dying also gave me the gift of a deeper, more meaningful way of LIVING. (And for that, I will always be grateful.) One that focuses on what TRULY MATTERS MOST and makes life more meaningful: LIVING. My dad's dying inspired this simple, but powerful framework for LIVING. I put those experiences together into a framework to help all of us. I hope this will make a difference for you too. I hope this helps you and changes your life too.
My 6 Pillars for LIVING fully alive:
My Signature LIVING Framework: The 6 Habits for LIVING a More Meaningful & Fulfilling Life.
How can we stay focused on what truly matters most: Get to LIVING:
L: Love and connect deeply ~Deeper connection
I: Impact positively and kindly ~ Deeper compassion
V: Value life & whole well-being ~ Deeper rejuvenation
I: I love, appreciate & forgive you's saying ~ Deeper expression
N: New challenges & growth embracing ~ Deeper courage
G: Grateful, positive and presently focusing ~ Deeper gratitude
LIVING has become my priority, focusing on those things that bring joy, purpose, happiness and meaning. I hope my signature framework inspires you to enjoy a life full of LIVING too!
I didn't truly realize just how powerful this LIVING framework is because it was putting my own lived experiences, personal stories and lessons into a framework to help others. Each LIVING pillar is also backed by research and science to be habits to make life most meaningful, fulfilling and make us feel more fully alive. (They keep us in the right-side of our brain when most of us live in our left side.) These are such simple things that bring greater happiness into our life, yet most of us have started taking them for granted in our busy lives. We're always feeling like something is missing, because it is. What's missing is LIVING! Have you started neglecting LIVING? We have to make sure that among our to-do lists we are prioritizing time for LIVING!
I think what makes my SIGNATURE framework so special and unique is that it is rooted in power personal experience and stories, yet backed by spiritual practices, neuroscience, and research, a powerful combination. I believe my dad left behind a gift to help all of us right now. Perhaps the greatest secret is this: how easy it is to miss truly LIVING, and not realize it, especially in our increasingly distracted and busy world.
THE PROBLEM IS: SO FEW OF US ARE ACTUALLY LIVING. Most of us aren't even present for our life. I've got tool to help us in LIVING our days more deeply and meaningfully.
While I was doing research for my new framework, coaching course and book, I had a GROUNDBREAKING REVELATION and uncovered a much bigger CRISIS)-- that our current 'meaning, isolation, mental health and unhappiness crisis' that so many authors and researchers are talking about right now is actually a deeper LIVING CRISIS. Because so few of us are truly LIVING. And that one of our most powerful antidotes/remedy is more LIVING! (The antidote: Get to LIVING!) Which is how The LIVING Project was inspired. Together, let's help each other get back to LIVING!
Most of us are not realizing that this lack of meaning is actually in large part from lack of LIVING.
With love and LIVING,
Julie
Here's the truth: Most of us are waiting to start fully LIVING. We only have so many days left on this earth. We have to use them meaningfully and use them well. Time is passing whether we use it wisely or not. The one thing we can never get more of or get back once it's gone is our time. My dad would tell us not waste so much of if focusing on the wrong things. It's the most precious resource we have.
DYING SHOULDN'T SCARE US; IT SHOULD MOTIVATE US TO GET TO LIVING! TO MAKE EVERY DAY TRULY COUNT! We can't control dying, but we can control LIVING! The problem is, so few of us are actually LIVING! (I hope to change that.)
You've got this ONE life to live. Take an honest look: Are you truly LIVING? Or are there changes you need to make NOW before it's too late?
The time you have left is a gift. Each day we are still here is a bonus day and should be embraced with its own Daily LIVING Bucket List, helping you stay focused on what truly matters most.
LIFE IS SHORT...GET TO LIVING! Make the rest of your time truly count! You don't have time to wait or to waste.
With love and LIVING,
Julie
Author, speaker, LIVING Coach and Founder, The LIVING Project
FREE CHECKLIST:
WANT A CHECKLIST TO HELP YOU LIVE EVERY DAY MORE MEANINGFULLY?
Download Julie's FREE 1-Page GET TO LIVING Sheet
Every day is a gift. Do you treat yours that way? If you woke up today, consider it bonus-time--an extra day to Get to LIVING! We need to treat our time as a gift and not waste it. We all know that, but it's easy to forget it. That's why I created this 1-Page download to help you make LIVING well a daily practice.
An entirely new way to think about your day more meaningfully. This PDF will change how you live your days.
~Make every day feel more meaningful
~Stop losing your days to distraction
~6 simple, but powerful daily habits that will change your life
~6 habits to track each day
~1 simple sheet to change your life!
The one thing you can never get back and never get more of is your TIME.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED:
THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE SHOULDN'T SCARE US; IT SHOULD INSPIRE US TO GET TO LIVING!
MAKE THE MOST OF THE PRECIOUS TIME WE ARE GIVEN. BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING MUCH SADDER THAN DYING...
MY REALIZATION: (A DEEPER CRISIS:)
The LIVING Project:
WE ARE FACING A LIVING CRISIS
How Much LIVING Have You Already Lost to Your Screen?
The LIVING Crisis & The LIVING Project: Getting Back to LIVING Again.
In my dad's honor, I've launched an initiative called The LIVING Project. I'm on a personal mission to bring LIVING back--those things that truly matter most--in a world where most of us have started missing it. As a way to get people reflecting on their lives and back to LIVING! I truly feel it could make a difference in the world if we bring LIVING back. I truly believe it could help the world in a positive way right now. I think I’ve uncovered an urgent, powerful, life-changing framework for reclaiming our LIVING in a world where so many of us have unintentionally starting missing it. Drawing on my own powerful personal experiences and stories during my dad’s dying days and years of research.
We're at a critical moment in our world right now. There's no doubt we're in the middle of a meaning crisis. But through my research, I discovered an even deeper revelation--we're facing a full-on LIVING crisis. I honestly believe it's the crisis of our lifetime. I've found a way to help through my simple, yet transformational framework. It's a simple framework and real-world that can be applied to our daily lives and help make LIVING a part of our normal routines again. Simple habits, powerful changes.
The world needs LIVING now more than ever! There has never been a greater need for LIVING. Newest research from Harvard is showing that the average American loses 20 YEARS of their life to their phones now. A person looks at their phone 205 times a day. That's every 5 minutes. It’s clear to see that as our screen spans are expanding our LIVING spans are decreasing. I want to help bring LIVING back. More and more people say they always feel as if something is missing…because there is. What’s missing is LIVING. As human beings, we were made for LIVING! This initiative is about reclaiming the LIVING we desperately need in this world.
My next book: GET TO LIVING, I share lessons to help us all take back our time, use it more meaningfully and focus on what matters most. Prioritize what's most important. (In a world where most of us have started missing it.) To remind ourselves what matters: LIVING.
Something is happening within all our busyness, distracting, hustling and scrolling that I honestly believe we are not talking about enough. We have started neglecting LIVING. The very things-the simplest things-that make us feel most fully alive and fully human. In fact, if we’re truly honest, some of us have gotten so busy we’ve actually stopped LIVING. (We need to get back to the RE-LIVING of life-focusing on what matters most and bring us the deepest meaning and fulfillment. That’s my mission now. The simplest things can bring the most meaningful changes, and sometimes the biggest too.) It’s easy to believe that our value lies in our busyness because we live in a society that tells us being busy means we’re important. And more regularly asking ourselves, What am I choosing? I have a simple message along with a simple framework, and that’s why I believe in it’s power so much. It’s the simplest things that can create the big things.
The newest research from Harvard University is showing that the average American will now lose over 20 YEARS of their life to their screens. Safe to say, as our screen spans continue expanding, our LIVING span is declining. We aren’t spending our time on the things that matter the most. We don’t need more scrolling and busyness; we need more LIVING.
JULIE'S FULL BIO:
(The Professional Stuff)
Julie Clark Lingen is a national award-winning, 2x Amazon bestselling author on a mission to help others get to LIVING in a world where most of us have started missing it. Her passion is helping others make their time truly count and make changes (before it's too late) to live a more deeply meaningful life. Julie’s passion for LIVING was inspired by her dad's dying.
Julie's entire perspective on living and dying changed when her dad died and she found a journal he'd written in filled with regrets wishing he had used his time differently, but now it was too late. It was that moment when she realized we have it backwards: We shouldn't be afraid of dying; we should be afraid of regretting the way we lived. We can't control dying, but we can control LIVING! In memory of her dad, Julie has launched a mission dear to her heart to inspire others to reflect on how they are living (or not living), and make meaningful changes, BEFORE it’s too late. It has also been the inspiration for her upcoming book and podcast: LIFE IS SHORT...GET TO LIVING: Lessons We All Need to Learn Before It’s Too Late, where she shares wisdom and lessons to help us all live more meaningfully and have less regret.
Julie's passion for helping others live life to the fullest is at the heart of everything she does. Her first best-selling book, Inspirational Coffee Breaks for Women: 12 Ground Rules for Pouring Your Heart into Life captured the hearts of readers across the country, becoming an Amazon.com bestseller and being named a finalist in the prestigious National Best Books Awards from USA Book News which honors the most outstanding books in the self-improvement genre. It also received the National Indie Excellence Award recognizing the "best of the best" in book publishing. It’s a dose of inspiration for the heart and soul. In it she shares her “Ground Rules” for Life and provides a one-of-a-kind, coffee-themed approach to personal growth, fulfillment and savoring each day to the fullest. She is also a contributing author to the #1 bestselling book: Reach Your Greatness, where she and other top thought-leaders and authors share their secrets for living an extraordinary life. Through her writing, speaking, podcast, courses and inspirational product line, Julie hopes to motivate more people to live a life they won't regret.
Julie has been honored with the Young Women of Excellence Award from the Sales & Marketing Executives, Inc. of Sioux Falls, SD, given to celebrate women who influence the lives of other women with their integrity and accomplishments. She was also named the recipient of the Horizon Award from Augustana University, recognizing alumni who have made outstanding achievements in career and service to their community. Julie loves spending time with family and friends, being outside in nature, watching sunsets and sunrises, road trips, adventures and trying new things. She tries to spend as much time as she can heart-to-heart with others, laughing and making memories with those she loves most. Her favorite place to be is at home with her loving husband, Brad, who brings her first cup of coffee to her every morning and also dedicates time raising money to find a cure for Huntington's Disease. They live in Sioux Falls, SD. Julie is constantly inspired by the stories, life lessons and wisdom of others.