We often hear and read the phrase “life is too short”; we even probably say it enough. But what do we actually do about that?
It’s not enough just to declare the accuracy of this phrase, we should also own up to it! It’s overwhelming to believe that our time, here on earth, has an expiration date and that someday we simply won’t be here.
The world looks too big for us just to live and die without even exploring it. There are too many people that we won’t get to know; there are too many soulmates that won’t get their meet-cute and too many friends that won’t form a soul tribe together. There are endless love stories that are eager to happen but never do, as there are countless unuttered words that we take to the grave.
What are your goals in life? What are you living for? What is fueling your actions? What is driving your soul? What experiences do you want to have? What place do you want to explore? What kind of life do you want? What do you want to achieve for yourself?
1- To Feel Genuinely Happy
People always say that they want to “find” happiness, but the question is: Why do we always want to “find” happiness? Is it something that we need to vigorously look for in order to find? We try to seek happiness everywhere but we fail to search one place: Within.
What most of us don’t understand is that happiness is only found within. You do not need to live on a mountain in search of that happiness and you do not need to live on a deserted island for that quest.
Happiness is initially found within. Those who are miserable from the inside will always fail to see beauty in anything! But those who are genuinely happy will see the beauty in the smallest of things, such as a simple cup of coffee.
I want to achieve that inner state of happiness, I want to find it within so I could stop searching outside. I want to long for a simple cup of coffee and find pleasure in the chirping sound of birds.
I’m not looking to feel happy 24/7; I know it’s unrealistic and no one is ever that happy. It’s even unnatural to always be happy because we should be able to feel all kinds of emotions!
2- To Feel Satisfied
Whoever convinced us that we should feel satisfied working 40 hours per week? Why did we ever believe that in order to find security we need to work a full-time job and come back home only to watch Netflix?
When did that ever become satisfying? We are taught to go to school, find a job, get married, have kids, worry about those kids, worry about our kids’ kids, and then die.
The sad reality is, people feel internally obligated to follow this path and feel regretful that they are not satisfied and that they wasted their lives.
I want to feel satisfied in everything I do. I want to work in a job that I love waking up to and be surrounded by people I care about. I do not want an automatic mode of living, I don’t want a routine.
I want to be able to say “hey, let’s sleep under the stars tonight”. I don’t want to eat the same food every day and live a predicted dull life. I want to feel satisfied with the quality of my life and to be able to say that I have lived and loved!
3- To Explore The World
One of the top things on my bucket list is to explore our world, even a small part of it. I know that most of us don’t own our private jets and don’t have Kanye’s money, but there are ways to travel the world even on a small budget.
I want to climb every mountain and smell the fresh breeze on their tops. I want to test the waters and feel the waves of different oceans. I want to move to a foreign country just for the sake of learning their language.
I want to try exotic food and experience what cockroaches taste like. I want to sit under the Eiffel Tower and drink red wine as I fall in love with a Parisian stranger and live a French love story.
I don’t want to live on Netflix and sleep on the sound of movies in the background. I want to be in the movies I’m watching!
4- To Reach My Full Potential
I once watched an inspirational video that talked about the importance of reaching your full potential and using the talents that God gave you. In that video, the guy talks about how we feel remorseful when we are on our deathbed if we don’t put our talents to work. He says that our talents will sit like ghosts next to us and haunt us for never putting them to work.
How haunted would you feel if you never wrote that book? How haunted would you feel if you never let the world hear you sing?
How haunted would you feel if the museums never got to hang your art on their walls? How haunted would you feel if you never reach your full potential?
This is your sign to go work on your goals; this is your reminder to explore your talents and let them grow. Each and every one of us is sitting under a goal mine if we choose to look below. You are the gold, you are the treasure so invest in yourself!