Every day is a new beginning.
Every day is a second chance.
Every day is a fresh start.
Every day is an opportunity to get better.
We’ve heard all of these sayings at some point along each of our life journeys, haven’t we? Some of us have borrowed these phrases and mantras and applied it to our being, others as motivational straplines or wax lyrical proverbs to elucidate some sophistication to our verbosity.
Yet what does it actually mean?
Have you or I ever paused, and I mean, actually, really pressed that pause button on the rapid dog-eat-dog, cat-chase-mouse, proverbial-rat race that keeps flashing by with such intensity that we rarely get a modicum of time, or a breather to stop and take stock of our lives?
Do all of the above sayings mean the same thing?
Yes. And no. And then yes again.
You see, the general underlying ideology is the same. In that life starts at the point where we decide it does. Etching a new chapter in our life story begins with us having to complete the preceding chapter first.
The goal of life
“Life is a preparation for the future; and the best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none.” – Albert Einstein
The ancient Stoic philosophers believed that our goal in life ought to be to live a life of virtue, in accordance with nature, to live by prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. They believed that without intention and without our ability to be in the present moment, to feel ourselves and our most “essential nature” that we can never invest our time properly in meaningful things.
Tell me that doesn’t pack a punch to the solar plexus? Or a kick to the throat?
While it’s poetic in its essence, the actuality of the philosophy hits closer to home than we imagine.
All the pieces I’ve penned in the past few weeks dear readers have dealt in some form, shape, or manner about living our lives contextually while brazenly venturing out of our limiting comfort zones, to grasp the extent of our capabilities and abilities in correlation and symbiosis with our aspirations, dreams, goals, and visions. I’ve drawn parallels to our existential dilemmas and earthly predicaments, and shone a light to the deep, dark, recess of cavities of vulnerability, negligence, obstacles, and limitations we ourselves stack up for ourselves over time.
You might say that if you revisit my column and each of the penned pieces in the last few weeks and piece them together, that once amalgamated, form an overall narrative to spark our sublime and conscious mind into reconsidering our positions of simply accepting our lot and lease of life. Of buying into the societal systematic mundane grind of linear scalability; chasing the almighty archaic symbols of happiness be it power, money, status, fame, or success. These are not bad things to aspire to have or earn. However, they become lethal and self-damaging if you grow blind-sided by chasing things that only result in instilling in you ego, jealousy, contempt, narcissism, self-conceit, and apathy.
If you don’t believe me, why don’t you take some time and observe for yourself the bulk of those who have an abundance of wealth, success, fame, power, and status – and truly assess if these individuals come across as sincerely satisfied with what they have in life. If they are happy or fulfilled.
Remember while it’s true that problems are subjective and vary from person to person, no problem is finally too great or too small. However, the bigger you get, the more famous you are, the more wealth you acquire and the more success and glory you achieve – the more your issues and problems go up proportionately in scale, scope, and size.
That should not stop anyone from thinking big or dreaming bigger though!
It’s vital perhaps to acquire and develop the acumen and acuteness along with the knowledge to work progressively towards one’s ambitions, dreams, visions, and aspirations without being remiss of one’s values.
What does it mean?
“All you have to do is let go of the past, trust the future to providence, and direct the present to reverence and justice.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditation
Why be always agitated, bitter, anxious, nervous, worried, negative, or stressed if you truly are immersed whole heartedly doing the things you must or need to or even love; the things you’ve always striven after? Why are things that once made you feel complete the very things now deconstructing your very being?
Don’t the majority of us work towards achieving our life’s goals and dreams, face incomprehensible hurdles along the way, and don’t we at times end up questioning our choices, processes, decisions, and the paths we have trod on, the straits we have sailed, or the terrain unprecedented we have traversed?
It’s only natural to want to feel the urge to abandon our quests and search for something new in life. This is not a bad thing, it’s perfectly natural.
It only means we are in need of a factory reset. A hiatus. Maybe even a moment to stop being driven by results – that we all but forget to appreciate the processes and the moments and circumstances we are in, in our day-to-day lives.
In fact, it means we aren’t disconnected from our own sense of humanity. This is a good thing. It means we are attuned to ourselves and therefore are in a position to find lessons of beauty, value, and patience in our circumstances.
Pause, think, reset
“Forever is composed of nows.” – Emily Dickinson
For the most part, most people live their lives day to day, struggling, compromising, riddled with opportunity costs, with chips on their shoulders feeling inadequate, lonely, insignificant, remorseful, confused, helpless, and damaged.
But what if we can learn to embrace the good, positive things we do have in life, instead of that which we don’t and work systematically and strenuously towards becoming good, then very good, then excellent and exceptional at the things we are proficient and gifted at?
We bury ourselves in work, drown ourselves in routine, submerge ourselves in following the same old patterns and formulas of happiness, greatness, social symbols, and success that we end up living simulated trophy lives to placate, and satisfy others.
Eternally caught in a vicious loop of seeking validation and approval.
If we don’t pause to appreciate the moments in our life that pass us by so quickly, then the sum of our existence will be a collection of bygone memories and half-lived fragments that are all but too far gone to summon back and value.
Moreover, if we keep accruing up our worries for a future uncertain, we end up neglecting to be present at the fleeting moments that really do matter and deserve our attention.
What if we can change a few aspects in our lives in order to elicit some key differences? What if all it takes are a few minor tweaks and tuning to be able to re-evaluate our statuses and positions in life? This is applicable to our personal, social, and professional lives also.
Here are five simple points to follow that could help in resetting and rejuvenating yourself:
- Live in the moment – letting go of the anxieties of the past and the worries of the future will help us concentrate on living in the present. So, pour yourselves in the here and now with reason and meaning.
- Make every moment count – Life is only as short as we make it by wasting time and forgetting to live our lives like every moment matters and every moment counts.
- Stop counting your blessings and instead be thankful for them – far too many of us keep comparing and contrasting ourselves to those around us. What if instead we stop thinking about the quantity of what we have and be grateful for the stuff of quality in life – even something as obvious and simple as just being alive?
- Focus on the process and not the outcome – we cannot control every outcome or consequence; own it when and if it unfolds. What we can do is enjoy and learn from the process of working towards our goals which will grant us greater fulfilment. The outcome may vary, but the process we can control.
- You might not be the best in the world, but the best in your world that you can be – stop telling yourself you aren’t good enough. Quit blaming yourself for all of life’s problems. Work passionately and purposefully to grow in both these aspects, improve your acuity, enhance your skill, advance in your abilities, and become the best version of yourself that you will ensure to labour with consistency, perseverance, and enough self-love so that you can sincerely be content with who you are and strive to evolve into a better version, accepting along your journey that there are good and bad days.