Life is the sum total of what you focus on
Looking back I saw how much life was one routine after another. One day followed by another which I hate. “I wish there are more hours in a day,” I would say to myself.
This is something so familiar to all us: the lack of time, the feeling of something missing in our life. The balance which we are looking for-but quite allusive.
It is true that there can be too many balls to juggle.
If this has to start somewhere then it would be when I first started middle school. At that time the grind was still minimal. It was in my high school years when I notice friends who were once shining with enthusiasm now starting to resemble college zombies.
That’s where habit starts-in your youth.
Whatever your situation as of now in your career, undeniable there is only one currency as the basis of it all: time. It’s the skeletal system which provides muscles and other parts the framework for locomotion.
This moment will never come back. Whether you are 27 or 15–you will never again be the same age. So it’s important to ask:
- Does this spark joy?
- Am I doing this goal for myself?
- Is it moving me closer to the life I want, if not why?
Recently I read a little bit of the book by Marie Kondo. There were many interesting philosophies inside that stood out.
There are takeaways that made sense not exclusive to tidying your home. But moving towards a life not only a home that sparks joy.
Life with all its responsibilities, tasks, and hobbies can give a feeling of hell. Responsibility can either be like clear water or a hurricane.
Why More is Less
To start, “Tidying is not about what to discard, it’s about choosing what to keep.”
Productivity tips are like techniques. Although they make juggling easier it doesn’t simplify the process. You are still juggling as many balls with your limited time and energy-just easier.
For example, I would have so many hobbies that I’m trying to fit into my schedule. Things like hiking, photography, piano, drawing, learning new languages, reading, journalizing. I was also about to start learning programming.
It was a bunch of ideas that I had planned for my days. I haven’t even got started about the amount of hours spent working. I was burn out and I wasn’t amazing at any of the hobbies.
Something that made me rethink the process was the busy schedule of James Franco. I thought he must be crazy to be juggling so many things all at once. Instead of feeling burned out he’s actually thriving on that roller coaster.
True not everybody can survive on such a schedule as James Franco. Yet, anyone can ask themselves: “Is what I’m doing making me thrive or fried?”
Reconsidering My Schedule
For sure my schedule got me burned out by the ongoing responsibilities. Besides the countless goals I’m trying to play out at the same time. Life balance is not possible for me.
It’s paramount to know what you want out of life. It didn’t make sense to me why I should trod on a road I have no idea where I’m going. Lead by the nose–the best way to get lost in the woods.
This quote by Marie Kondo helped me made a wise decision:
“People are afraid to discard things either because they are attach to the past or afraid of the future.” –Marie Kondo
Besides cleaning out my room of all the little accessories that gets me attached to the past. I decided to keep only two hobby: piano and drawing.
The reason I kept it was because there’s beauty behind these two art form that draws me into a different reality. Also bringing forth an untapped desire for perfection and putting imagination into art.
Ready for Disruption
I remember sitting there watching the cold night outside when an insight struck me, “This is a moment of reality when the universe converge to see whether you’re living with passion.”
In a sense this wasn’t the reality which I want to live in, neither are the responsibility the ones which I desire to hold. That was a moment of moving towards the future and away from the past that was still grabbing tight to me
There are these little moments on our journey where we must be ready for disruption. In these hard times we need to question our assumptions about ourselves and reality. Your reality!
If each day is a journey which we are walking on. Each one of us is carrying a backpack full of regrets for the past and anxiousness for the future. Only by letting go and realizing where your goal will this get easier.
I haven’t find my purpose or a supreme goal which I’m seeking. But, I do know one thing: the process starts with knowing what touches your heart with joy.
Ask yourself: What is the reality you want to live?
