Losing my life

Mark 8:35
"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it"

Are we really losing anything by dying?  Stress, sin, problems people, hurt, and pain - things that are only here on earth.  We don't have to deal with any of this anymore.  If we lose our life - we actually get our reward.  The freeing this about this is that Jesus basically says that e can't save our souls, meaning only God has the power to save.  The second part of this verse speaks to how I am living my life.  Am I living a life of total abandon?  Am I willing to die for Christ?  I probably will never be in that situation, but didn't verse 34 tell me to deny myself of die to all the little selfish things in my life daily?

Application - I need to do 2 things from this verse (1) Not do anything to try and save my life or soul - Jesus already did. (2) I need to die a martyrs death to the small things of this world daily.