One minute you’re sitting on a park bench…


credit: estmsk

 

It’s funny how the excitement of ’stuff’ diminishes with time. I’m reminded of the post Christmas period – so much excitement as toys and gifts are ripped open! Then a few weeks later, the same things are left lying around unused.

There are so many things in life that have amazing appeal and seem to be so inviting, particularly when they are things we don’t own or haven’t done before.

Maybe it’s new cars, boats, TV’s, clothes, a four month vacation exploring Europe, houses, holidays – even owning your own private island in the Bahamas! I’m sure that would be pretty exciting for most people! Big toys, little toys – after you’ve acquired said item, the excitement eventually starts to wear off.

Think of your dream car – what you’ve always pictured yourself in when you were younger. Maybe it’s a big name car like a Porsche, Ferrari etc. I don’t own one of these, but I can imagine I’d be pretty ecstatic if I became the proud owner of one! (note to selfless supporters who would like to donate – that’s what the ‘donate’ link is for at the top of the page!) Hop in and out of it day after day after day however, and it although you still may love the car, the excitement of it has long gone. Just talk to people who own crazy expensive cars – they normally shrug and say “oh yeah, it’s pretty good…”

Sometimes life’s a little bit like this too. We get excited about life for a while, we’re passionate about something new, like starting a dream job, having an exciting holiday or reaching a milestone. As time goes by we tend to get a little complacent, a little less excited about ’stuff’.

And so it goes also with our health. Unless we get some kind of wake up call, we often take our health, our lives for granted to some degree.

  • A couple of days ago in my home town, a young man aged 23 was killed when a car jumped the kerb and ploughed into him from behind at speed. I don’t believe he saw the car coming, he was actually on a break from work at the time, sitting on a park bench and watching the ocean. I didn’t know the man, but his family have publicly recognised him as a great guy, a hard worker with amazing potential – life was just beginning.

What do we normally do when something like this happens? It’s tragic, it makes us feel sad for the person and their family. For a little while we are reminded of how fleeting life is, and we tend to take a bit more time to kiss our kids goodnight, give our family hugs and tell them how much we love them. We shake our heads and say “what a shame. Life is so precious.”

And then eventually it wears of a little, as we slip back into the routines of life.

Lasting Excitement
I’m not suggesting we need to be uber-enthusiastic all of the time. But I would like to take a leaf out of Timothy Ferriss’s book and suggest that maybe our goals in life shouldn’t be to aim for the pot of gold at the end; building up a retirement fund, and biding our time so that we can enjoy the spoils in 20 years time.

Maybe we should be concentrating more on enjoying life every day.

What is your legacy? What will people remember you for? I’d much rather be remembered as someone who enjoyed life, enjoyed people and had fun, than someone who was doing well climbing the corporate ladder and likely to make partner in another 15 years!

Simple Steps to Take
What can we do to reduce this wave of ups and downs in life, of building then waning excitement, of taking our lives for granted?

I’d like to suggest that we focus more on the simple things in life.
Less on material things, more on the joy of living. Simplicity. Breathe in the fresh air! It’s good to be alive!

Maybe we could think about:

  • Smiling more
  • Worrying less about the little things in life
  • Spending less time online!
  • Living for today, not for next year, or in 5 years time
  • Not putting off our dreams until we’re older
  • Being heartfelt and genuine as much as possible

Do you have any other suggestions?

After all, do you realise – that’s you and me there, sitting on that park bench, watching the ocean.