This morning I was absolutely stunned when I learned that actress, Brittany Murphy, had died at age 32. Like many of you, I grew up watching Murphy in movies like Clueless, Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile, Just Married, and more.

What surprised me most about her untimely death is that the coroner’s office feels she died of natural causes. Natural causes? Isn’t that something only the elderly die of? Apparently not. In an article posted on CNN.com, a spokesperson for the coroner’s office said that “it’s not unusual for a younger person to die of natural causes.”

The fact that this phenomenon is not unusual is not only news to me, it’s an incredible reminder to live your life the way you want to NOW because who knows if there will be a later.

Not to start off the week on a morbid note, but Murphy’s life and death is a reminder to us all not to wait to go after the things we want. She knew she wanted to be an actress since she was a little girl and her mother supported her dream, selling all of their things so they could move to Los Angeles. Their leap of faith paid off and Murphy ended up landing her first acting gig as Brenda Drexell in the short-lived sitcom, Drexell’s Class, at age 14. And her star continued to rise from there.

It’s not hard to imagine how many more great movies she would’ve made if her life wasn’t cut short, but at least she had the confidence and the courage to pursue and accomplish her dreams in her short time here. What a shame it would’ve been if she had waited or hadn’t had the courage to take that leap of faith in the first place.