As we prepare to return to “normal” life I find myself constantly asking; “What will happen when this is all over?”, “What have we all learned, if anything?” and “What exactly will the new normal look like?”. The truth is - I have no idea and I do not have the answers and in reality, does anyone? However, in the words of Oprah; “What I know for sure” is - you can never underestimate the power of dedicating time to developing your mindset and recognising what is it that you value the most in life and there really is no time like the present!
Personally, I have spent a considerable amount of time over the last few years but more so over recent weeks, working on my own mindset and acknowledging what is truly important to me. I have been living my life like the world could end; “YOLO”. So, there's not much more I want to do, or regret not doing before all of “this”.
I've made all my decisions based around my two values of; 1) “Freedom” and 2) “Happiness”. When the choice comes between security or freedom, I know my values and I stick by them. I chose not to have children, yet. I chose not to save for a mortgage, yet. I chose to put my education before everything else, to get me to where I finally feel I belong. Eventually, I stopped caring about what a 33-year-old “should” be doing and I simply began to focus and prioritise what makes ME happy day to day.
The underlining theme of my life is - life is short and you only get one shot at it. I often think about how insignificant our life span is in the grand scheme of the universe which encourages me to take more risks and worry less about what other people think. I sometimes find it helpful when making plans or thinking about doing something to imagine that if I was on my deathbed and reflecting on my life, what would I tell myself to do? And according to the book; “The top five regrets of the dying” by Bronnie Ware, the number one regret of the dying was; “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me”.
Remember, many of us won't even be given the chance to reflect. It's a morbid thought but it keeps me aiming to squeeze as much life out of my days as possible.
Moral of the story - DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY and don’t be afraid to let yourself be happier. Don't feel like you have to do anything in your life to suit other people. Yes, at times you might feel like you are letting some people down but if you are able to explain your thoughts then hopefully they will understand.
Whatever happens, I know I have given life my best shot. I just hope, that if you don't feel the same right now, that you'll give it your best shot after all of “this”. If you're lucky enough to be given another shot. This means making sure that you are living in the moment.
Find purpose in each day. Nothing is promised.
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