Nobody gets out alive.
Let that sink in. Nobody. Not you. Not me.
Sounds harsh. If you really get your head around it, it’s a bit scary. It’s also the most liberating thing I know. Because if nobody’s getting out, you have no time to piss about.
Where it came from
I can’t remember where I first heard “Nobody Gets Out Alive”. But it landed like a massive punch in the face. It’s stuck with me ever since, and it’s the foundation of everything on this site: there really is no time to fuck about.
19, and my dad
I learned early that life can deal you a twat of a hand at any moment.
When I was 19, four weeks into university, I got pulled out of class and told my dad had died. MS had taken him downhill fast. He was 51.
I’m in my fifties now. You can see why the whole “life” thing is a bit more focused.
Not long after, my mum sat my sister and me down. She had MS too. The hand of twat, back for another go.
It keeps coming
Over the years it’s kept turning up. A school mate, a proper musical talent, gone at 25. Friends hit by breast cancer, some who made it and some who didn’t. Brain tumours. People in their thirties and forties leaving kids behind.
So whenever I’m moaning about something trivial, I raise a glass to my mate and remind myself: suck it up. He’d give anything to trade places.
Two rules I got handed early
- You have no idea when your lights will be switched off.
- You have no idea what’s coming for you, or for anyone you love.
So what are you waiting for?
What this site is
At 19, I got my punch in the face. And yet here I am in my fifties, still needing another one now and then, just to remind me that life is short.
Plenty of people sail through life without ever getting punched. And from someone who has, it’s bloody frustrating watching them put things off, procrastinate and wait for a tomorrow that isn’t promised.
So this is for them. The punch in the face they haven’t had yet, from someone who has. And it’s a reminder for me too.
Blunt quotes, short punches, hard truths. No gurus. No fluff.
Don’t wait until you retire to do the things you want. There’s no guarantee you’ll get there, or that you won’t be too knackered when you do.
Everyone has their thing. Find yours, and do as much of it as you can, now.
Nobody is coming to save you. Time is undefeated and doesn’t give a flying fuck about you. You only get one ticket to the gun show.
#ngoa – Nobody Gets Out Alive.
Maxwell Taylor