288. intentional living
When is the last time you did something for the sake of doing it?
We’re all so caught up in a race to complete something, that we’ve lost the enjoyment of just living. Our efforts, if not strictly directed at gaining from everything we do, are seen as a waste of time. While it’s good to live with intention, what is life without the ability to simply enjoy the moments we have?
When is the last time you went for a walk to enjoy nature, without counting your steps? The last time you decided to truly enjoy a meal, without worrying about calories? The last book you read, without seeking some personal gain over those who didn’t read it? Or, the last time you did anything particularly enjoyable for the sake of doing it, without the desire for a constructive result?
None of this is meant to steer us away from intentional living, but that there is some truth to the old saying “stop and smell the roses.” We’re all hurrying to get somewhere and accomplish something that we miss out on the small things that this life is made of. Living with intention is great, but intentional living may be better.
200. different direction
We all want a good life. Some of us think of it as a journey, others as a destination. There’s no right answer as both ultimately end in a similar fashion. We’ve all heard the argument that it is better to do what you love, yet at the same time we know it can be very hard to build a life around watching cat videos on YouTube. So where do we draw the line between enjoying the journey by doing what we love, and setting aside some of our enjoyment along the way to end up at an enviable destination? Some bit of sacrifice is necessary for either option, and that’s the struggle we all deal with.
We can all agree that life should be enjoyable. And, no one deserves anything less. But what happens if in the process of enjoying the journey, something comes along that makes you question the path you’ve chosen? That maybe a bit of sacrifice in one area is necessary for us to gain in another. At a fundamental level, if something shakes you so profoundly that it makes you stop and rethink your resolve about the path you’re on, then it is definitely worth paying attention to. It’s a rare occurrence that shouldn’t be ignored.
Maybe what we thought we were after just isn’t so anymore. And all the choices, successes and failures we’ve encountered up to this point, were just preparation for this moment. The funny thing is that, it just leads back to life being a journey, instead of a destination to reach. You can make all the plans you want, by either trying to create a life out of enjoyment or building one that you can enjoy in the future. But you still have to take it as it comes. Adjust your views as you encounter new perspectives, realign your trajectory, and always keep moving forward, even if it is in a different direction.
99. find joy in the process
Every time you find yourself unhappy, it’s most likely due to some form of comparison. We’re never really upset until we start comparing where we are with where we think we should be. It’s a formula for dissatisfaction that leaves us more concerned with the result of our effort, than finding enjoyment within the process itself.
Focusing on the result, instead of enjoying the process itself is a form of comparison between the future and current versions of yourself. Placing all your attention on the result, at the expense of the processes will only lead to dissatisfaction in the long run because you haven’t learned to enjoy all the things that were necessary to achieve the desired results, which will ultimately lead to you losing them. For instance, you can compare yourself to someone who is consistently in good shape. You can ask them what you need to do to look good naked, and then follow their prescribed regimen to achieve the body you desire, but if you do not find a majority of the effort within the process enjoyable, you won’t have that body for long.
There are two types of people; ones that think they will only be happy when they achieve what they’re after, and ones who find happiness in the execution of the process. If you are embarking on a journey only as a means to an end, you’ll never find joy in the steps it took to get you there. It is an inevitability that if you enjoy what you’re doing, you will get better results. Long after you achieve your goal or arrive at your destination, you’re still doing many of the things there were necessary to get you there simply because you enjoy them.
Research has shown that you derive more satisfaction — dopamine — from the process of pursuing than actually acquiring the things you’re after. In other words, the people who find enjoyment in the process will have the best results longterm, whereas those who are only after a result will quickly lose interest once they achieve what they’re after. The person who is consistently in shape enjoys the process of working out and eating well because it provides them with a positive feedback mechanism of confidence, vibrancy, and looking good naked, that allows them to consistently find enjoyment within the process. If you hate working out and eating well, and must sacrifice to get the body you want, you can achieve it but it is unlikely you will maintain it.