The United States Social Security Administration publishes a list of how long we all have to live. Their Life Expectancy Tables specify - in matter-of-fact detail - our estimated time remaining according to national averages. 

Until I saw this, I kind of assumed I had a lot of time left – that this was something I could keep on my mental backburner. What knocks me out, flat onto the canvas, is this stark number: I have an estimated 515 months left to live. And that’s if I live to the national age of 77, for males. 

Does 515 months seem like a lot of time to you? Because it sure doesn’t to me. 

My dad died of a heart attack this year, at age 56. If I were to follow him, that would give me just 243 months. 

A month is a time unit that rattles me. It’s easy to “feel” its brief period; they blow by like the March wind. 

I know, from the octagon, that the way time is perceived varies with how things are going at a given moment. When a losing fighter is struggling to make up points, time left in the round speeds by. For the man winning, who wants the combat over now, the bell never sounds. When considering my number of mornings left, I certainly feel like the guy fighting desperately from behind for every point. 

But I have come to realize there’s a benefit to knowing your monthly quota. 

The “months left to live” measure can be an antidote for complacency. This perspective provides a much-needed sense of awe for that which is right before us. It shouldn’t leave us haunted, but rather with the gift of a stripped-down vision of that which is essential. 

Whenever I go to a funeral I’m like most people – I have a newly restored sense of the preciousness of life. Then, I get on with training, reading the Bible, studying Portuguese, playing drums - and all the other activities that make me feel lucky to be alive. After a few weeks, I begin to lose awareness that time is fleeting. 

I have to wonder if my father had known, at my current age of 33 years and 10 months, how little sand was left in his hour glass – whether he might have thought differently about his time on earth. 

Being aware of our allotted months can help to enhance our lives. Dozens of self-help books could never energize me like that one big number – 515. 

Interested in knowing how much time you’ve got left? Go to www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html. And, hey, have a nice day! 

I’m very strict with my daily nutrition. I weigh my foods on a scale and I track calories. Sometimes I keep a food journal to help calibrate what I’m eating. 

But I do take one day a week to allow myself the fun, bad items. Usually this is Saturday, from the time I finish training until I go to bed. This allows me 2 junk meals, which I savor. Is this bad for me? I’m sure it is! 

However, I’m a strong believer that ANYTHING in moderation is not that bad for you.

Part of fight day I spend alone, usually reading my Bible. But I also like being with my team, usually watching a movie. 

I also have a habit of organizing my room before the UFC staff escorts me to the arena. Organizing always helps me to feel more in control.

What I do is just keep pushing myself through, with grim determination. I know that if I quit, I would be letting more than just myself down. After a while, the letdown passes and I am able to regain my stride. 

Success at anything in life is not meant to be easy. And it isn’t.