How to Live a Complete Life Before the Sun Sets

What if this is it?

Not in a doomsday, panic-stricken way—but what if today is all we ever get? No five-year plan, no someday trip to Santorini, no waiting for the perfect job, partner, or weight to begin living.

Could you live an entire, complete life in one day?

That question came to me—oddly enough—while watching a dog on a beach. He wasn’t doing anything special. Just running, pausing, digging, then sprinting again like every moment was enough in itself. No checklist. No regrets. I started to wonder: could I do that? Could I strip back the noise and try to live fully for just one day?

Here’s what happened when I tried—and how you can try it too.

1. Wake Up Like It’s Your First Day on Earth

Don’t just open your eyes. Arrive. Stretch slowly. Feel your feet on the ground like they just learned to walk. Open a window, inhale the air like it might be the last scent you ever smell.

Before you touch your phone, say one thing out loud:

“I’m alive. What a thing.”

2. Eat Like It’s Your Last Meal—Every Time

No, this isn’t permission to binge on cake (though I won’t stop you). It’s about presence. Whether it’s a buttery piece of toast or just a cup of coffee, eat slowly. Taste everything. Chew longer. Don’t scroll while eating—look out the window, or better, into someone’s eyes.

Food becomes sacred when you stop rushing.

3. Love Like You’re Out of Time

If today were it, would you still withhold that apology? That compliment? Would you still ghost that friend or avoid your sister’s call?

Call them. Text them. Hug someone 3 seconds longer. Tell your partner they’re still your favorite plot twist. Smile at strangers like it costs you nothing—and somehow makes you richer.

Living fully means loving without reserve.

4. Do One Brave Thing Before Lunch

Take a risk, even if it’s small. Say no to something draining. Say yes to something that terrifies you. Submit the poem. Ask the question. Apply for the thing. Start the book—even if it’s just the first sentence.

You don’t need to conquer a mountain. But you do need to start climbing something.

5. Make Art Before the Sun Sets

You don’t need to be an “artist.” But creation is what reminds us we were here. Write a few lines in a journal. Paint a lopsided sun. Make a playlist. Rearrange furniture. Sing in your car.

Leave behind some proof that you felt something today.

6. Watch the Sky Change

Seriously—watch it. Sunset is a reminder that endings can be breathtaking. Sit outside. Turn off the noise. Let the colors remind you that even the most ordinary things—like light and time—can be magic.

Breathe. Surrender. Witness.

7. Go to Bed Without Hoarding the Day

You don’t need to squeeze every drop out of every hour. Completion is not perfection. It’s peace.

Ask yourself:

Did I love well today?

Did I feel something real?

Did I leave a mark, even if only in someone’s memory?

Then let go. Sleep like you’ve lived a thousand years in 24 hours.

Because maybe, just maybe…

A full life isn’t measured in decades.

It’s measured in the depth of a single day.

And you, dear reader, are still right on time.