This Is Life

Alright, I’ve got some basic common sense coming at you today.

I say common sense, but though this is all gonna sound obvious, it’s something we all seem to have a massive issue with remembering and accepting (that’s right, I’m calling you out). We’ve had a few pep talk weeks of deep-thinking and encouragement and being your best self lately, so today we’re having some loud and simple facts.

Ready?

This is life.

This, right here, right now, whatever you’re doing, is life. This is it. There’s nothing extra tomorrow, there was nothing different yesterday. There’s nothing more when you’re smashing your goals and nothing less when you’re doing a job you hate. Every single moment is life. All of it.

We always say or think (even if it’s a subconscious thought) “my real/best/actual life is going to start when I’ve done this…” or “life will be so much better when I no longer have to do this…” Or, even on a smaller scale, just looking forward to the weekend and ignoring Monday to Friday.

It’s all life. Every single moment is a chance for you to enjoy and laugh and find happiness and be the very best version of you. Why would you choose to look forward to just two days out of seven, over and over? Do you know what ratio that leaves you with throughout your entire life? Two decades out of seventy. Do you really want to ignore/hate/waste fifty years of your life?

And I know, I know, before you get all screechy or click away, no one can be happy one hundred per cent of the time. No one is going to enjoy every single thing they have to do in life. But if you let those parts consume you, if they trickle over so the entire day gets written off, what’s the point? Was it worth it? How badly did you have to do it?

Either find a way to make the best of that moment or situation and try to enjoy it, or think about the reason you’re doing it and accept it’s just a small component, serving a current purpose, in your otherwise awesome life. And if the rest of your life isn’t freaking awesome, what are you doing?

Exhibit A – if you’re doing a job you really hate, it’s easy to let that consume your happiness. I mean, you wake up, spend all day doing something that sucks the joy out of you, then your day ends, you get maybe a few hours in which you have to cook and clean and do all that life stuff, then go to sleep and it all starts again. That, my friends, is not an enthralling life. I am definitely not inspired.

But that’s because, in that example, the entire day is fixated on the single component that sucked. Sure, it might take up the most time and therefore seem logical that everything revolves around it, but why? If you do a nine-to-five job, you’ve still got time in the morning and time in the evening to enjoy life. You can literally go anywhere, meet anyone, do anything, eat your favourite food, partake in your favourite hobby, learn a new skill, meet up with friends or family. And all of that stuff is possible because you have the sucky 9-5 to pay for it all. 

And how much does it even suck? Can you not find a way to enjoy even some of it? Can you not adapt a mindset that lets you shrug off the nuisances or stress, and just do the tasks your job requires, finding a way to stay neutral or even happy, and not be swayed into having a load of negative thoughts?

And if it’s really that sucky, can you not look for a new one? Can you not change the circumstances so you enjoy them a bit more? Because – let me reiterate – this is life. This is what you’ve got. It’s not going to suddenly change, so find a way to enjoy every part you can, as much as you can.

My point is, don’t let all your responsibilities drag you down. They’re just parts. You need to fixate on all the other stuff. (And if you don’t have other stuff, find it!) Find ways to get the most enjoyment. Maybe that’s going to get your favourite coffee every morning, or calling a friend, or watching a movie you never have time to watch in the evening, or joining a new club or activity. Getting up at two in the morning to bake cookies, just because you can. Don’t become a slave to the routine, and don’t ‘save’ things for special occasions. Life is always a special occasion.

Find a way to get the most enjoyment out of every moment. And then repeat.