Mortal Living

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Second chance
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Second chance

What if you had a RESET button?

Patrick Mathieu
Jan 24, 2022
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Share this post
Second chance
mortalliving.substack.com

Do you ever wish you had a second chance at life?

Well, today's your lucky day because I'm giving you one!

Here you go:

This stylized barcode is a simplified version of my own "expiry date" tattoo. (If you don't know the story, here you go.) For me, barcode symbol performs a number of different functions. I’ll tell you about more of them in the near future, but for now, I want to talk about the barcode as a second chance.

I like to think of the barcode as a RESET button.

This is exactly why I chose to get my tattoo. Long before I started speaking or writing about this, I wanted a quick way to instantly reconnect with my “expiry date” and all it involves.

(Funny story - when I started out as a keynote speaker, I spoke to some advisors about how to begin. I very clearly remember a conversation where a marketing person told me: “The first thing you need to do is brand yourself.”

I thought for a second, then said: “Great! I’ve already done that!” and rolled up my sleeve to show them my barcode tattoo.)

Each morning, when I see it in the shower, I remind myself that waking up this morning was an opportunity to press the RESET button. Seeing the barcode reminds me of my mortality and allows me to take a moment to mentally reset myself and see this new day for what it is. A gift that wasn’t guaranteed.

Implied in there is the unspoken truth that waking up tomorrow is also not guaranteed, so today is my ‘second chance’! I can choose to live like it matters.

Want to join me tomorrow morning and give it a spin?

Let’s live like it matters!

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