Last week I was driving along one of the major highways around Toronto. I had some good music playing on my stereo and the weather was wonderful.

I am always a careful driver, so my attention was focused on my driving, but my thoughts were elsewhere. Suddenly, I noticed the sign warning that the highway was coming to an end just ahead. Only then did I realize that I had missed my exit!

Has that sort of thing ever happened to you?

This situation is an excellent illustration of why I consider the message of "Mindful Awareness" to be so very important. Consider that all of us are traveling down the highway of life. Each of us has an idea of which route we would like to be taking, but we must be constantly mindful or else we risk missing our turning points.

Sometimes a missed turn can be fixed by taking another turn and circling back. Sometimes an even better route presents itself. But sooner or later everyone will find themselves at the end of the highway and many people will be unprepared for the sudden ending of the journey. "I was so sure that the highway was longer than this!" they'll say.

My speaking, my book, my coaching and these weekly Mindful Moments all have a common goal. The entire point of my message to the world is to ensure that you don't reach the end of your highway only to look back and say:

"Had I known that it was going to end at this time, I would have made some different turns. I was sure that there would be time to change my course."

This is why I am constantly urging people to be mindful of the present moment.

This is why I encourage people to acknowledge, accept and even embrace their own mortality. One of my key principles is something that I call "The Mortality Manifesto". It is a very powerful one page document and I invite you to read it for yourself.

Then I invite you to share it with your family and friends, because we are ALL traveling down the highway of life.

About Patrick Mathieu
Patrick Mathieu has an expiry date. He was born with Congenital Heart Disease and at the age of eighteen he was told that the doctors "hoped" that he'd live to be 30 years old. They told him that his life was more than half over. Today, a barcode tattoo on his shoulder that reads 031800, or March 18, 2000 - the date of his 30th birthday - says differently. Rather than see this as a death sentence, he used this as a call to action. Through his speaking, writing and coaching, he now shares his deeply personal story with audiences everywhere and reveals the exciting insights that this life experience has given him. He helps people come to terms with death, which actually helps them experience fuller, more vital lives.

Visit http://www.whatsyourexpirydate.com