The Secret to a Life Well Lived, According to Jamie Lee Curtis

In early 2023, Apple announced that it was dropping a handful of new Time to Walk sessions with assorted A-listers stepping up to guide folks on peaceful strolls through different settings. Jamie Lee Curtis is one such A-lister. And her episode of Time to Walk is one that, in my opinion, everyone could benefit from listening to.

As Apple describes it, on this walk, Curtis “talks about embracing life’s most unexpected moments, the transformative power of serving others and what motivated her to focus on self-reflection every day”.

All of that is true. But it is also quite a generous, and at times vulnerable, exploration of the big lessons in life. In it, Curtis offers profound pieces of advice that have struck me to my core. So, I felt I should take a moment to share the parts that resonated with me most.

The secret to a life well lived, according to Jamie Lee Curtis

Early on in her walk, Curtis ponders a deep thought.

“We all share the same question,” she said.

“What is the meaning of life? How does this work? Who am I? What am I doing? Why am I here? How do we get to where we wanna go?”

She shared that many people think the answer lies in something rather controlled, like the person you decide to marry, the education you receive, or the kind of upbringing you have had. But over the years, our pal Jamie Lee Curtis has learnt otherwise. She explained that the book Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl opened her eyes to a completely different way of seeing life. This quote, in particular, has stayed with her.

“…Life hinges on a couple seconds you never see coming, and what you do in those seconds determines everything from then on, and you won’t know what you’re going to do until you’re there.”

On reading these words, Curtis shared, “All of a sudden, all of my struggles academically, romantically, in my family of origin… all of it evaporated because I realised I’m not in charge of it”.

“Ultimately, what I’m in charge of is what I do with those moments that come out of nowhere that then determine the rest of your life – if you’re open to them.”

Kind of hits you in the guts, no?

To be clear, Curtis clarified that these moments are not always joyful. Sometimes they’re tragic. But they’re the moments that define your life. She also explained that she doesn’t believe you shouldn’t plan, or that you shouldn’t try and create opportunities. All of this is just to say there will be times when life will pivot unexpectedly, and you will have no say in that matter. 

Live is for living, she shared. And not on your terms, but on life’s terms.

When it comes to how to live, Curtis turned to another book: The Path of Insight Meditation by Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. She explained that she cracked this book open after learning of Princess Diana’s death.

While telling this story, Curtis shared that “In the preface, it says, ‘when people have tried to live mindfully, at the time of their death, they ask themselves two questions: did I learn to live wisely, and did I love well?’”

“And on that tragic day, those questions become the questions of my daily life. I don’t go to bed at night without asking those questions. Did I learn to live wisely today? Did I do something to be better, to learn to apologise for being a jerk? Because I can be a jerk because we’re human. We make mistakes, but can we grow? And then, did I love well today? The people I love, did I show them? Did I tell them? Am I demonstrating that?

“And that’s not easy sometimes. But there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about it. That has become the framework of my life.”

…Who knew a 40-minute stroll could be so powerful?

Time to Walk with Jamie Lee Curtis is available now via Apple Fitness+.