Create A Life...

Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.

Seth Godin

We’ve all heard that old adage, “create a life you don’t need a vacation from”. From a theoretical point of view, this sounds like something so simple; it’s illogical not to do it. Yet from a practical perspective, this can be a challenge so overwhelmingly impossible that we end up living within a life we can barely stand, just holding it together till the weekend arrives. And as Monday roles along, we caffeinate ourselves enough to do it again.

Here’s a reality we sometimes don’t want to acknowledge. We chose this life. We chose it with every action and inaction we have taken, with everything we put up with and everything we avoid. Just think of how many times you have complained about your job, or your relationships, or yourself. Now consider just what real actions you’ve taken to change them, fix them, or better them. Wishful thinking doesn’t do much if it’s not followed up with actions.

Take a moment to define the world you want, the world you really want. I’m not talking about fantasizing about winning the lottery so you never have to work again or randomly meeting a CEO looking to hire you as his successor because he likes your “spunk” or a Victoria Secret’s model who just happens to fall madly in love with you for whatever reason some disconnected RomCom writer can come up with. I’m talking about defining what would be the world you want, based on who you are and who you can become.

Some of these things are simple changes you can start right away. Others are more complicated and require a greater effort. Just keep in mind that you can’t change anything unless you realize what you want. Hate your job? Unless you can figure out what job you won’t hate, changing it “just because” won’t solve anything. Figure out what kind of job you want and then get off your ass and work towards getting it. Want to live a more active lifestyle or have a better body? Get off your ass and start working out. Want to have a more active social life? Get off your ass and go out to meet more people. Want to have a more romantic relationship with your spouse? Get off your ass and do romantic things. It’s not about moving away from what you hate, but rather towards what you want. And it all starts by getting off your ass.

You have to understand who you are and who you want to be. Change your life to fit the man you are and want to be. This means working for the life you want for yourself. You can’t complain about your life if you are a willing participant of everything you hate about it.