Just finished reading SUM Forty Tales From The Afterlives by David Eagleman. It has forty short, humorous, and witty stories from the “afterlives” (for there are more varieties of after-lifes than any particular religion might have taught.)

This excerpt is from the story “Oz”, in which only the courageous in the afterlife can see God face-to-face:

“A great journey awaits. Along the way you face fears and conquer them, identify streams of self-doubt and ford them, discern the peaks of your arrogance and descend them, spot the clouds of self-pity that hang over you and hike out from under them. By the time the road ends, you emerge with renewed confidence – ready, you believe, to meet your maker, to face the face, to perceive a glimpse of the mastermind who crafted the masterpiece.”

To me, the first two sentences seem to be great advice for our present life. You will “emerge with renewed confidence,” ready to succeed at whatever you set out to do, regardless of whether or not you think there is an afterlife.

So be brave and walk your journey, for greatness awaits you!