"The proper function of man is to live - not to
exist."
Too often we go through life on autopilot, going through
the motions and having each day pass like the one before it.
That's fine, and comfortable, until you have gone through
another year without having done anything, without having really lived life.
That's fine, until you have reached old age and look back
on life with regrets.
That's fine, until you see your kids go off to college
and realize that you missed their childhoods.
What follows is just a list of ideas, obvious ones mostly
that you could have thought of yourself, but that I hope are useful reminders.
We all need reminders sometimes. If you find this useful, print it out, and start
using it. Today.
Love. Perhaps the most important. Fall in love, if you
aren't already. If you have, fall in love with your partner all over again.
Abandon caution and let your heart be broken. Or love family members, friends,
anyone -- it doesn't have to be romantic love.
Get outside. Don't let yourself be shut indoors. Go out
when it's raining. Walk on the beach. Hike through the woods. Play sports, or
walk barefoot through grass. Pay close attention to nature.
Savor food. Don't just eat your food, but really enjoy
it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavors. Savor every bite. If you limit
your intake of sweets, it will make the small treats you give yourself even
more enjoyable.
Create a morning ritual. Wake early and greet the day.
Watch the sun rise. Out loud, tell yourself that you will not waste this day,
which is a gift. You will be compassionate to your fellow human beings, and
live every moment to its fullest.
Take chances. We often live our lives too cautiously,
worried about what might go wrong. Be bold, risk it all. What do you have to
lose?
Follow excitement. Try to find the things in life that
excite you, and then go after them. Make life one exciting adventure after
another (with perhaps some quiet times in between).
Find your passion. Similar to the above tip, this one
asks you to find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to
do.
Get out of your cubicle. Don't waste your days. Break
free from the cubicle environment, and do your work on a laptop, in a coffee
shop, or on a boat, or in a log cabin.
Turn off the TV. How many hours will we waste away in
front of the boob tube? How many hours do we have to live? Do the math, then
unplug the TV. Only plug it back in when you have a DVD of a movie you love.
Otherwise, keep it off and find other stuff to do.
Pull away from Internet. Unplug the Internet, then get
out of your office or house. Right now! And go and do something.
Travel. Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have
vacation time, or when you're older. Find a way to take a trip, if not this
month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable
bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not
see the world
Rediscover what's important. Take an hour and make a list
of everything that's important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do
in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things
in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on
these things.
Eliminate everything else. What's going on in your life
that's not on that short list? All that stuff is wasting your time, pulling
your attention from what's important. As much as possible, simplify your life
by eliminating the stuff that's not on your short list, or minimizing it.
Exercise. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually
try running. Or go for a hike. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it.
And life will be more alive.
Be positive. Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you
have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the
reasons you can't do something. Then stop yourself when you have these
thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts.
Open your heart. Is your heart a closed bundle of scar
tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love, to give love
unconditionally.
Kiss in the rain. Seize the moment and be romantic.
Raining outside? Grab your lover and give her a passionate kiss. Driving home?
Stop the car and pick some wildflowers. Send her a love note. Dress sexy for
him.
Face your fears. What are you most afraid of? What is
holding you back? Whatever it is, recognize it, and face it. Do what you are
most afraid of. Afraid of heights? Go to the tallest building, and look down
over the edge. Only by facing our fears can we be free of them.
When you suffer, suffer. Life isn't all about fun and
games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. Learn to feel the pain
intensely, and really grieve. This is a part of life -- really feel the pain.
And when you're done, move on, and find joy.
Slow down. Life moves along at such a rapid pace these
days. It's not healthy, and it's not conducive to living. Practice doing
everything slowly. Enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail's pace.
Touch humanity. Get out of your house and manicured
neighborhoods, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to
them, understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your
materialistic lifestyle.
Volunteer. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the
suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities, those who are
dying.
Play with children. Children, more than anyone else, know
how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get
hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Play with them,
and learn to be joyful like them.
Talk to old people. There is no one wiser, more
experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can
tell you amazing stories. Give you advice on making a marriage last or staying
out of debt. Tell you about their regrets, so you can learn from them and avoid
the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society.
Learn new skills. Constantly improve yourself instead of
standing still. You should accept yourself as you are, and learn to love who
you are, but still try to improve.
Find spirituality. For some, this means finding God or
Jesus or Allah or Buddha. For others, this means becoming in tune with the
spirits of our ancestors, or with nature. For still others, this just means an
inner energy. Whatever spirituality means for you, rediscover it, and its
power.
Take mini-retirements. Don't leave the joy of retirement
until you are too old to enjoy it. Do it now, while you're young. It makes
working that much more worth it. Live simply, but live, without having to work.
Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a
couple of years.
Do nothing. Despite the tip above that we should find
excitement, there is value in doing nothing as well. Not doing nothing as in
reading, or taking a nap, or watching TV, or meditating. Doing nothing as in
sitting there, doing nothing. Just learning to be still, in silence, to hear
our inner voice, to be in tune with life.
Stop playing video games. They might be fun, but they can
take up way too much time. If you spend a lot of time playing online games, or
computer solitaire, or Wii or Gameboy or whatever, consider going a week
without it. Then find something else to do, outside.
Watch sunsets, daily. One of the most beautiful times of
day. Make it a daily ritual to find a good spot to watch the sunset, perhaps
having a light dinner while you do so.
Stop reading magazines. They're basically crap. And they
waste your time and money. Cancel your subscriptions and walk past them at the
news stands. If you have to read something, read a trashy novel or even better.
Break out from ruts. Do you do things the same way every
day? Change it up. Try something new. Take a different route to work. Start
your day out differently. Approach work from a new angle. Look at things from
new perspectives.
Stop watching the news. It's depressing and useless.
Laugh till you cry. Laughing is one of the best ways to
live. Tell jokes and laugh your head off. Watch an awesome comedy. Learn to
laugh at anything.
Lose control. Not only control over yourself, but control
over others. It's a bad habit to try to control others. Let others live, and
live for yourself. And lose control of yourself now and then too.
Cry. Men, especially, tend to hold in our tears, but
crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you
are hurt, or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases these emotions and
allows us to cleanse ourselves.
Make an awesome dessert. I like to make warm, soft
chocolate cake. This isn't an everyday thing, but an occasional treat thing.
But it's wonderful.
Try something new, every week. Ask yourself: "What
new thing shall I try this week?" Then be sure to do it. You don't have to
learn a new language in one week, but seek new experiences. Give it a try. You
might decide you want to keep it in your life.
Be in the moment. Instead of thinking about things you
need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or
regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you?
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