Remember you will die, remember to live.

Memento mori (“remember that you will die”) isn’t just an expression to The Stoic, it’s a way of life. Remembering the reality of your own death is the most powerful motivator for living a life of meaning and virtue, right now.

When it comes to contemplating your own mortality, rather than looking to the beyond, your gaze is firmly planted in the present moment. You’re in on the secret of the ancient stoic philosophers: the best way to prepare for the great unknown is to focus on the here and now. Your contemplation of death is perhaps more accurately described as an inquiry into life. Life gives meaning to death, and death to life. You care deeply about living with purpose and building meaningful monuments in the world—whether it’s your business, your art or your community contributions—and it’s of critical importance to you to know that both your way of being and your work in the world reflects your highest values.

While stoicism has often been falsely conflated with a lack of emotion, it more accurately reflects a cool head, clear perception and emotional mastery. And this serves you well, dear Stoic. You know that death is a part of nature, a part of life—so what reason is there for anxiety? You’re able to hold the truth that death is not something to be feared, avoided or resisted. What we cannot change or control is not ours to worry about.

Know that you will die, and allow your thoughts, words and actions to bring you closer each day to the life you truly want to live. Then, consider how the values you lived by will be expressed in your end-of-life ceremonials, whether it’s a passage that will be read at your funeral or a parting gift that you’ll leave behind for your loved ones.