My sister once reminded me that there are plenty of last times we miss. The last time we hang out with a friend before our paths twist in separate directions. The last time we have a certain food before we leave a place we’ll never revisit. Sometimes, we might even fail to recognize the last phone call with someone we love before they die. That’s why “this might be the last time” is a thought worth having on occasion.
It can, however, also be a useful tool. In Creative Doing, my friend Herbert Lui writes: “Let go of your external expectations. Immerse yourself in the task at hand.” One way to do so? Pretend it’s the last time. Like Frank Sinatra did, at least according to his friend and fellow singer Bono: “Fully inhabiting the moment during that tiny dot of time after you’ve pressed ‘record’ is what makes it eternal. If, like Frank, you sing it like you’ll never sing it again. If, like Frank, you sing it like you never have before.”
“What if this was the last time?” The last time you’ll write. The last video you’ll shoot. The last slide you’ll ever make. Talk about going in with intention! “This philosophy is applicable to your craft,” Herbert writes. “You can pretend like it’s the last time you’re doing your work, the last chance you might be able to contribute to this piece of work. This immersion naturally lets expectations, hopes, and fears fade away; none of it matters.”
Whatever work you care about, the next time, pretend it’s the last time. Feel pressure, aspirations, and worry fall away, and then give it all you’ve got.