His life was taken before it really even started, yet despite his suffering and tremendous adversity, he was happy and grateful, and his life philosophy is an inspiration to us all. Watching his TED talk filled me with a profound sense of gratitude. It’s the story of Sam Berns and his life philosophy. Sam was 17 when this was recorded, but his body was about 80. Sam suffered from an extremely rare genetic disease known as progeria, which causes accelerated aging. This Ted talk was published on December 13, 2013 and less than one month later Sam had transitioned from this life to the next. As Patriots owner Robert Kraft said, “I loved Sam Berns and am richer for having known him. He was a special young man whose inspirational story and positive outlook on life touched my heart.” Sam was dealt one of the hardest lives a person could have, but if you listen to the talk you will know he turned suffering upside down and found a simple, yet profound blessing that he passes on to each of us, gratitude. Sam’s life philosophy is hard to top, nor should it be. After tremendous suffering, when asked “what is the most important thing people should know about you,” Sam replied, “I have a very happy life.” Sam went on to say that rule #1 of his life philosophy is to be okay with what you ultimately can’t do, because there is so much you CAN do. His second rule is to surround yourself with people you want to be around. How many of us have so much more, but exhibit a fraction of the gratitude and grace as this young man? I’ll raise my hand. Sam left a legacy and like Robert Kraft said, just watching this video touches my heart and impacts my life. Do you have a life philosophy? Are you grateful for all that you have? Do you suffer, if so, how can you see what you can do, and all that is good? Turn suffering into a blessing, that is why it shows up in our life; we learn from trials and tribulations. My life philosophy is listed here, but after listening to Sam, I reflect on all those words in all its mechanical and philosophical completeness and I am inspired to change it to something far more profound and simple. Something like, my mission is to inspire people, be happy, and die with friends by my side. In closing, I think the most powerful thing about a life philosophy is that it becomes our legacy. Think about it. God bless you Sam, I am grateful.

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