A Fraction Above Zero

A number so large that it’s practically zero. 

It is like throwing a dart at random at a map larger than the universe – blindfolded – and hitting a single atom, not just once, but millions of times in a row. And even if you beat those odds, the time you get is incredibly short. The average global life expectancy is just over 73 years – a blink, compared to the 4.5 billion years Earth has existed. To put it into context: while the odds of being born were almost zero, the odds of dying are 1 in 1.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. All we have is this moment, right now. It is a gift – that is why we call it the present. When you consider how rare and short life is, it forces a simple, but uncomfortable question: How are we spending it?

For most of us, the answer follows a predictable script. We go to school, work hard, marry, buy a house, start a family, build a career and retire. We spend years climbing ladders without stopping to ask if they are leaning against the right wall. At the end of their lives, people rarely regret failing to meet others’ expectations. Instead, the most common regrets of dying people are:

• I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
• I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
• I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

What if there was another way?

Imagine a world where work and play are no longer opposites. Where “work” simply means creation. Where, instead of chasing status or security, we chase what makes us feel alive. In this world, our work is no longer separate from who we are – it becomes the purest expression of our values, our talents, and the purpose that moves us. I believe this is not just a dream. It is an antidote to regret. The purpose of life is to find your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away.

A few months ago, I began to find mine.

Together with six ambitious idealists, I started a Moral Ambition Circle: a small community committed to using our talents to solve some of the most pressing challenges of our time. It launched me into an unexpected journey of self-discovery. I started asking new questions: What are my true talents? What does the world actually need? How can I contribute in a way that feels not just good, but true? Slowly, an image of a different future started forming. One not based on external approval or old blueprints, but on meaning, authenticity, and joy.

The other night, my partner asked me what my favourite subject was in school. Without thinking, I said: art class. I had not picked up a paintbrush in years – but the next day, I did. It does not matter that the painting is not finished yet. What matters is how it made me feel: alive, creative, awake.

That is how I know I am on the right path – learning to trust my inner compass.

This is the first of a series of reflections I will be sharing as I walk this path. I don’t have all the answers – not even close. But my hope is that these words might spark something for you, too – wherever you are on your journey.

Life is short. The odds are almost zero. And yet, here you are.

How will you spend your gift?

With love,
Norman