Live, Not Just Exist
Are you living your life or just merely existing? If you are doing the latter then it’s high time that you start living your life before it is gone.
We often live our lives too cautiously, worrying about everything that might go wrong. Be bold, risk it all. Quit your job and go into business for yourself or go up to that girl/guy you’ve liked for a long time and ask her/him out. What do you have to lose?
Don’t let yourself be shut indoors. Go out when it’s raining. Walk on the beach. Hike through the woods. Bask in the sun. Play sports or walk barefoot through grass. Pay close attention to nature.
Don’t just eat your food, really enjoy it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavours. Taste every bite. If you limit your intake of sweets, it will make the small treats you give yourself even more enjoyable. Savour them slowly.
Try to find the things in life that excite you and then go after them. Make life one exciting adventure after another, with perhaps some quiet times in between. Whatever you do, get active and you’ll love it. And life will be more alive.
Learn to recognise the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can’t do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, replace them with positive thoughts and simple solutions.
What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognise it and face it. Do what you are most afraid of. Afraid of height? Go to the tallest bridge and look down over the edge. It is only by facing our fears that can we be free of them.
Life isn’t all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our friends. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes ill. A family member dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely and really grieve. This is a part of life and when you’re done, move on and find joy.
Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days. It’s not healthy and it’s not conducive to living. Practise doing everything slowly — everything, from eating to walking to talking to reading. Slow down to enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail’s pace.
Get out of your house and find those who live in different types of conditions. Meet them, talk to them, understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your materialistic lifestyle. Learn compassion and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities and even those who are dying. Open your heart and be ready to receive and to give love unconditionally.
Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them, instead of thinking you know so much more than them. Play with them and learn to be joyful like them.
There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned than our elders. They can tell you amazing stories, give you advice on how to make a relationship last or to stay out of debt. They tell you about their regrets so that you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society — take advantage of their presence while they’re still around.
Laughing is one of the best ways to feel fully alive. Tell jokes and laugh your head off. Watch an awesome comedy. Learn to laugh at anything. Roll on the ground laughing. You’ll love it.
Men, especially, tend to hold in their tears but crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you are hurt or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases all kinds of emotions and allows us to cleanse ourselves.
Instead of thinking about things you need to do or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible to bring your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.
Constantly improve yourself instead of standing still — not because you’re imperfect but because it is gratifying and satisfying to learn new things. You should accept yourself as you are and learn to love who you are, but still try to improve — if only because the process of improvement is life itself.
Starting tomorrow, wake up early to greet the day. Watch the sun rise. Tell yourself that you will not waste the day, which is a gift. Be compassionate to your fellow human beings and live every moment to its fullest.
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