By Shazad
“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
Nelson Mandela
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Get a Life!” You may have even said that a few times to someone in a state of excitement or frustration. But what does that even mean? Life is not an object or noun that can be neatly defined and put into a box. Life is not something we write down in a few paragraphs or even a short book. Life is the very act of existing 7/24 and learning to surf the waves of whatever comes our way. How do we do that?
“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.”
Viktor Frankl
The first thing to understand is in the title and that’s the most important thing. Life is a verb. It’s an action or behaviour so you can consider it the process of being, growing, and living. There’s nothing to “Get”. It’s all about becoming something. Truly self-aware people become their authentic selves and achieve the full potential of their mission in this world…or they die trying to achieve it and get pretty close.
“The first step: Don’t be anxious. Nature controls it all. And before long you’ll be no one, nowhere—like Hadrian, like Augustus. The second step: Concentrate on what you have to do. Fix your eyes on it. Remind yourself that your task is to be a good human being; remind yourself what nature demands of people. Then do it, without hesitation, and speak the truth as you see it. But with kindness. With humility. Without hypocrisy.”
Marcus Aurelius
The next thing to understand is you need to get off the hamster wheel and step away from the Rat Race. Humans are not rodents; we’re not meant to be on the Go and ruminating on things constantly. You have to take a break, collect your thoughts, evaluate the situation, and then plan your next step in important aspects of your life. Don’t overthink or get stuck in a mental loop but don’t rush into a tunnel or run towards a prize. It could be a Mouse Trap! Take a breath, look around, get some quality sleep each night, and move forward with confidence rather than anxiety.
“The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!”
Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa
The third aspect of life is that it’s supposed to be challenging, at times. You are supposed to struggle, sweat, and even get knocked down at times. Maybe some suffering is in your history or your future and that’s unfortunate but understandable. These things happen to the best people and often more than once in a lifetime! The great legends and heroes of history and perhaps our family are those that get right back up, dust themselves off, and keep moving forward, or die trying. There’s great honour even in the attempt to stand up again after a loss or some major struggle. This is true courage and leadership. No one should expect angels or God to do everything for them without the need for a person to work, get tired, and grow some muscles in the process of living up to their true potential in life. Just like a gym, your life in this world is the place we work things out, stress our minds and bodies, and then appreciate the daily progress. We do this to get to the best version of ourselves. So that we can become who we are meant to be in the process of living.
No one is going to hand you or me a complete and ready-to-go kit that says, “Here’s your life. Now go and enjoy it while it lasts.” Instead, you will have to take the 3 ideas above and craft your own story about what your life is going to look like from now on. How are you going to feel, learn, and grow each day? What Mission are you trying to fulfil and who is on your Team to help you achieve that mission? How are you going to become more resilient so you can get back up after the known challenges and unexpected blows come your way? Make a plan and learn to keep moving forward. Life is meant to be experienced which includes some pleasure, some pain, many lessons, and a lot of growth! That’s how you Live Awesome!
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