I’ve been out of the habit of journalling in the earlier hours of the day lately. Life has become slightly more rushed, with me reverting to autopilot when it comes to task management as work has picked up pace. I feel more disciplined at times, because I am getting a substantial amount done, but all the while I want to be self-aware and not fall into the optimisation and productivity trap. The amount of emails I reply to or reports I draft do not translate into making me any more worthy an individual. We are not our day jobs.
To be hurried is to ignore the most beautiful part of being human; our ability to direct striking amounts of attention to the world around us. All of life is attention and its abundantly clear that the quality of one’s life is in direct proportion with the amount of focus they are capable of applying. This is why while some eschew the idea of lifestyle design, I stand by it as a way to maximise happiness and satisfaction. The careful cultivation of our thoughts (gratitude), belongings (owning the right things instead of many things), and surroundings (making your home a place you feel is beautiful and inspiring) leads to a more meaningful existence.
When you really think about why, it seems obvious: our thoughts about the world shape how we respond to it. I am not here to promote manifestation, but I do believe in the power of gratitude and optimism and always keeping yourself open to world instead of applying resistance to it. When we have the right tools at our disposal, as opposed to too much distraction, we can better perform our work and engage in our hobbies. When your home is full of what you find most inspiring and comforting, it becomes an uplifting and restorative environment. All of this adds to quality of life.
This also ties into the essay I wrote a couple of weeks ago about finding geographical locations which allow you to be live most in tune with yourself and making haste to establish a life there.
I believe that some of us are born in or inhabiting places to which we do not belong.
Your lifestyle is a combination of where you call home, what you do for a living, your hobbies, the company you keep, and your worldview. When we think more deeply about what provides the most value and joy, we are engaged with our life and this allows us to know ourselves better. For myself, I know that reading, writing, making music, and exercising all amount to things that make me more whole and well-rounded. They provide me with knowledge and a skillset that makes my life more enjoyable. Being scrupulous about who I spend time with, the places I go, and where I gather my news and information also matters immensely.
The world can be bleak, especially at a time when geopolitics are polarising and the things we read about regularly do not reflect a mankind which is making strides for the better, but continues to make the same mistakes generation after generation. Our senses are inundated with negativity and a barrage of noise for if we do not get selective about where we direct our attention. Too often, we place our mood and outlook in the hands of others…politicians, mentors, family members, you name it. We have to take our experience into our own hands, because nobody will be able to fulfill your needs better than yourself. Pursue autonomy in all things. Be the captain of your ship.
As long as you live, keep learning how to live.
-Seneca
As I develop a deeper sense of knowing what it is that I personally need to flourish, I am filled with greater satisfaction and appreciation for this human experience. Lately, there have been some developments which reaffirm my path and what I ought to be going after at this phase of life. It is an invigorating realisation.
I came across a couple of quotes attributed to Carl Jung this week which are especially good reminders:
Find out what you believe and act on it.
Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.
There is no room for compromise on these points as far as I am concerned.
What is life if we constantly accomodate others, hold back our opinions, silence our beliefs, or give up on implementing ideas which we think might make this world a more enjoyable place? Why do so many of us make concessions around what we hope to accomplish and let others direct our path instead?
We owe it to ourselves to pick up on the details of life, find out what we believe and as Jung says, “act on it.”.
There is so much around us everyday that is beautiful and worth noticin; so much worth exploring in both our inner world and outside world. Our sense of time expands when we engage with these things. Days feel longer, relationships feel closer, music sounds sweeter, the breeze against our skin revives us, reminds of us the temporality of life and is no longer just a sensation, but a reason to dig in and know thyself. No longer are we letting things simply happen around us or to us, but we are tuned in to them and appreciating the whole process…
Now, as I glance out the window over my shoulder, I see the leaves moving as one with the wind, and notice the warm way the sun casts its afternoon beams into my office and think, “The rest of my work can wait. I need to join in some outside revelry.”