You Could Leave Life Today. What Would You Do Differently?

About this episode

<p>The end of the year has a way of reminding us that nothing lasts forever. In today’s episode, you will hear a deep dive into the Stoic practice of <a href="https://dailystoic.com/history-of-memento-mori-art/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Memento Mori</a>, the reminder that you could leave life at any moment. Not as something dark or depressing, but as a way to sharpen your focus on what actually matters.</p><p>You will hear conversations with psychologists, grief experts, and artists who have all confronted mortality in very real ways. From near death moments and personal loss to ancient Stoic wisdom that still holds up today, this reminder helps make you more present, more patient, and more intentional with your time.</p><br><p>🎙️ Listen to the full episodes:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8OARstQGfM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Think About Death. Science Says You’ll Be Happier. | Dr. Laurie Santos</a></li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-kessler-on-finding-meaning-in-grief-and/id1430315931?i=1000670987546" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Kessler on Finding Meaning in Grief and Practicing the Art of Memento Mori</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_JNtgzPTLE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EGO, DEATH, FAME: Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>📚 Books Mentioned:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/dying-every-day-seneca-at-the-court-of-nero" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/search?type=product&amp;q=david+kessler*" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Finding Meaning</em></a><em> </em>and the <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/search?type=product&amp;q=david+kessler*" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Finding Meaning Workbook</em></a><em> </em>by David Kessler&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Just-Beyond-Light-Making-Inside/dp/0306828189" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Just Beyond The Light by Randy Blythe&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-D-Randall-Blythe-ebook/dp/B00NP8MDWW?ref_=ast_author_dp&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dark Days by Randy Blythe</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>🪙 We have a collection of items in the Daily Stoic store<a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/collections/memento-mori" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> to help you in your own memento mori practice</a>, check them out here:<a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/collections/memento-mori" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://store.dailystoic.com/</a></p><br><p>👉 Dr. Laurie Santos is an expert on the science of happiness and the ways in which our minds lie to us about what makes us happy.&nbsp; Listen to Dr. Laurie’s podcast, <a href="https://www.drlauriesantos.com/happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Happiness Lab</a>, where she shares the latest scientific research on what it means to be truly happy.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Check out more of Dr. Laurie’s work at <a href="http://drlauriesantos.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DrLaurieSantos.com</a> and follow her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lauriesantosofficial/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram @LaurieSantosOfficial</a>, <a href="https://x.com/lauriesantos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">X @LaurieSantos</a>, and on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfUSTVKFCfXl6PVyG08zxg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@drlauriesantos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a> @DrLaurieSantos</p><br><p>👉 David Kessler, a grief and loss expert. David co-authored two books with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, including <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grief-Grieving-Finding-Meaning-Through/dp/1476775559" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>On Grief and Grieving </em></a>and after experiencing the death of his son, he updated her 5 stages of grief with a 6th stage: <em>meaning</em>.&nbsp;</p><p>Follow David Kessler on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iamdavidkessler/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://x.com/IamDavidKessler?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">X </a>| <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iamdavidkessler/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@IAmDavidKessler&nbsp;</a></p><br><p>👉 Randy Blythe is the lead singer of <a href="https://www.lamb-of-god.com/tour/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lamb of God</a>.</p><p>Follow Randy on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/drandallblythe/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://x.com/drandallblythe?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">X </a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/drandallblythe/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@DRandallBlythe </a>and check out his <a href="https://randonesia.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Substack</a></p><br><p>No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. <a href="https://join.dailystoic.com/nyny26/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Daily Stoic New Year New You</a> challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at <a href="http://dailystoic.com/challenge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dailystoic.com/challenge</a></p><br><p>🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |&nbsp; <a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new</a> </p><br><p>🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Instagram</a>:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast</a></p><br><p>✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at<a href="https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail</a></p><br><p>🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store:<a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://store.dailystoic.com/</a></p><br><p>📱 Follow us:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> &nbsp;Instagram</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Twitter</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@daily_stoic?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, and<a href="https://www.facebook.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Facebook</a></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>