Is Life Long or Short? Choose a Perspective that Works for You

• "Life is short" motivates some to live fully, but others, like Mark-Paul Gosselaar, find freedom in seeing "life as long" after therapy advice.

• Whether life feels short or long depends on the perspective that best suits you.

I often hear that life is short. The logic is that reminding yourself of life's brevity will push you to live more fully. You’ll tolerate less nonsense and have fewer regrets. This mindset works for me, and I thought it was universal until I read an interview with Saved by the Bell star Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

He shared that in his 30s, during a rough patch, he saw a therapist. Here’s how the conversation went according to People Magazine. He was in the middle of telling the therapist a sob story when, after 10 minutes, the therapist interjected:

“Here’s the deal … people will say to you, ‘Life is short.’ But it’s not. Life is long … You’re 36, and you’ve really only had about 18 years to yourself that you’ve been able to make your own.”

The therapist then asked Gosselaar, “‘How many more 18 years do you have down the line?’”

Gosselaar replied, "Quite a few," to which his therapist responded, “‘Think of what you did in those 18 years that were yours. Think of what you’re going to do in the next 18 years and the next 18 years...’”

The therapist said ‘Life is long. So treat it as life is long, and you’ll be okay,’” the actor added.

For Gosselaar, this conversation completely changed his perspective on aging. And I have to say, it changed mine too.

Conflicting Ideas

We encounter many conundrums, like whether life is too short or long. Advice, philosophies, and ideas are plentiful online. They can enlighten or frustrate us. More than ever, we need to assess how these mindsets benefit us. If one makes us more anxious, sad, or depressed, it’s worth exploring the opposite. In the end, whether something is short or long, fat or thin, beautiful or ugly, is really about perspective.