(This is Part 4 of the Memento Mori Meditations Guide. If you haven’t already, read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 before reading this one)
In part 2 of this guide, I mentioned that one way of practicing on-the-spot Memento Mori meditation is by having your own Memento Mori phrase.
This time we are talking about this idea and how to create your own Memento Mori phrase.
As I said in previous parts, on-the-spot meditation is something you use to snap yourself out of complacency, procrastination, and hesitation. We also mentioned that it can take as little as 15 seconds. This can become much more effective and potent when you have a phrase that you can relate to on a personal level. A phrase that you are able to feel.
Sure, I say "Memento Mori" to myself at least 50 times a day. And even though I think that’s been a useful habit for me, I don’t exactly feel each one of those "Memento Mori."
And I believe that for most of you, repeating "Memento Mori" won’t give you that feeling and awareness that you are looking for, at least not to the full extent. It will help you to develop a habit, but it won’t exactly give you that kick in the butt that is the main purpose of on-the-spot meditation.
Dude, You Are Going To Die
I developed my own Memento Mori phrase one day when I lost patience with myself and my hesitation. It was another case where I was refusing to make a decision, refusing to take a step in any direction.
I was fed up with it, so I told myself, out loud and in my native language, what would be translated as: "Dude, you are going to die."
This was the kick in the butt that I needed, not "Memento Mori" or some quote by Marcus Aurelius or Seneca. I needed to bring this meditation down to my personal experience, to make it real and raw.
The key for me was in that word from my native language that is best translated as "Dude."
It's not a word that I use often. I don't call my friends "dude." When I do use it, it's when I am addressing someone who has irritated me in some way and when I’ve lost my patience with that person.
So the first time I used my own Memento Mori phrase was quite fitting. I was fed up with myself and my hesitation.
From that point on, I knew what my phrase was going to be.
Every time I catch myself mindlessly staring at my phone, not knowing what I’m looking for, I tell myself, "Dude, you are going to die."
Whenever I need that kick in the but or that inner slap to get me to take action, I tell myself, "Dude, you are going to die."
In those moments, for those 10-15 seconds, I have no patience left for myself. It’s been used up. There is no more time to waste. I need to get back into life.
Your Memento Mori Phrase
What I would advise you to do is to start by using your native language. Even if it means that, instead of saying Memento Mori to yourself, you just say its translation, "Remember that you have to die," but in your native language.
You can also try translating and rephrasing some of the Memento Mori quotes that left a strong impression on you, or some of the things I wrote in previous parts of this guide and in my Memento Mori Meditations instagram posts.
This is something that you will tell yourself when you are stuck on youtube without any good reason, but also when you are afraid to approach that stranger at the coffee shop. Let the occasions when you need Memento Mori the most help you decide what a fitting phrase for you would sound like.
It’s important to remember the thing that I mentioned a couple of times before - different types of meditation that we discussed here build on each other.
Every type of meditation gives structure and direction to the next one. That’s why trying to create your phrase will be difficult, and probably unsuccessful, if you haven’t first spent some time practicing all types of Memento Mori meditation. As far as we know, maybe the things I said here don’t apply to you. Maybe repeating "Memento Mori" gives you a stronger feeling of urgency to live than anything that you would say in your native language. But I guess we won’t know until you try it.
I know that experimenting with different Memento Mori phrases in your native language might sound and feel weird at first. But hey, we are already 4 parts into the guide on thinking about your death daily. You signed up for weirdness. There is no backing down now.
So start meditating. Start experimenting with different phrases for your on-the-spot meditation.
There is no time to waste. Because "Dude, you are going to die."
Thank you for reading.
In the next part I will be talking about how to use Memento Mori Meditations to make decisions and structure your time.
Click here to read Part 5 of Memento Mori Meditations guide.
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