My pup just passed away a few days ago.

The degree to which a pet is part of a family varies drastically- but I can say that my dog, China, was a big part of mine. I am an only child, and losing her felt as though I was losing a sibling. Now that she is gone, the house isn’t filled with quite the same energy and vibrancy as it once was. Her presence and playfulness are dearly missed.

I hesitated to write about such a sad and personal subject- but writing about anything else this week would be a lie, as this has been the primary thing on my mind. While this blog was intended to be upbeat and inspirational, I’m realizing how important it is to also find the beauty in the breakdown. Because, no matter how close to perfect we are or are not, each of our lives is and will always be full of crazy, unexpected twists, turns and full-out breakdowns. It’s our hardest moments, however, that provide us with balance, perspective, strength and a true sense of appreciation for life in the long-run.

In recent months, I’ve heard a number of people express concern, frustration, worry, fear, exhaustion, or utter confusion about one or multiple aspects of their lives. I am not exempt from that list. The issues that we are individually and collectively dealing with range from inconsequential to life-altering.

It calls to mind a particular psychological phenomenon known as the 90-10 principle. This principle states that 10% of life is made up of what happens to us (i.e. circumstances that we cannot control), and the other 90% of life is about how we react to that other 10%. In other words, on any given day, a lot of wasted energy is spent on that 10%. Many of us spend so much time being mad, upset, and frustrated about the 10% we can’t control…and that in and of itself becomesour reaction to life- directionless resistance and regret.

In the process of focusing on what’s wrong- on the less-than-ideal circumstances and challenges we each face in one or many areas of our lives- we forget that 90% of our reality is completely up to us to create. We are the ones who perceive- and thus, shape- our world. By focusing on that 10% we can’t control, too many of us miss the biggest point of all- that life is insanely precious. We all understand this conceptually- but do we really live it? And if not, can you imagine how drastically life would change if you did?

As my dog drifted away from this life and I felt her heart slow to a stop in my arms, the gift of life and time became alarmingly apparent. Indeed, we forget how precious life is until we are suddenly and shockingly reminded of its brevity.

I once heard someone say, “When I’m on my deathbed, I’m not going to say, ‘I regret not working harder.’ I’ll probably say, ‘I wish I spent more time with my family. I wish I appreciated everything I had and took more time to enjoy it.”

Too often, we pass our days in worry and regret. We worry about who we’ll be, whether we’ll find true love, how we’ll manage our careers, our happiness, our relationships with friends and family. And, the most notable and recurring regret that I hear people say they have is that they didn’t take enough time to savor and appreciate what they had when they had it…health, love, security, peace of mind.

One day, your heart will slow, and then stop. And when it’s all over, what do you hope people will say about you? What would make you feel incomplete if you failed to do it- or at least try for it- before your time was up? What matters most to you? If you are not doing what you love and being who you want to be…what’s holding you back?

Don’t waste anymore time- not another minute. Life is too short and precious to spend it worrying about all the things you don’t have or can’t get.

You never know when you’re time will be up- so say what you mean, get to the point, don’t play games, love as many people as you can, tell those people how much you love them, fiercely pursue your passions, put your heart on the line, and shape that other 90% of life so that, when yours is over, you’ll feel complete.

And know that when your heart stops one day, the lives of the people you’ve touched- just by being you- will realize thatyou were part of the reason why their hearts were beating so strong.