Sometimes we don’t really know what we are doing. Time passes, and there you are today, discontent with life. How did this happen? Have you made the best of your life?
Dr Victor Frankl pointed out that as people grow more affluent, they are not confronted with lack of choices, but rather too many choices. This leads to indecision, and a lack of meaning. 1000 paths lie ahead of you, how do you choose? Sometimes people chose to go the same path they have been on, no matter how miserable they find it. You can’t complain if you don’t decide – that is their unheard, unconscious reasoning.
Look at your past 5 years
Have you grown in any sense? Physically, mentally, financially, spiritually, socially? What about your job? If your salary has not grown 20% total in a 5-year interval, you are below average.
Perhaps it is more important to ask if you find meaning in your job. Do you feel like your work matters to someone? Is it 5 years of experience or merely 1 year of experience repeated 5 times? Are you proud to tell people what you do?
Have you picked up any new skills? Any new, healthy hobbies like tennis or jogging? Did you finally play the instrument you always wanted to?
Evaluate your life twice a year
If you don’t like where you are at, change where you are going. In words, it is simple – just 5 seconds on a keyboard. In life, there is a process.
Start somewhere. For example, what’s your ideal job, realistically?
Ask and you shall attain. To get your ideal job, you need to achieve basic competence, keep applying until someone gives you a chance in a junior role, and then you may begin to rise. That is a long and slow process, but it is better than the alternative. Re-orientate your life so that you can achieve that goal in a matter of 5 years. Re-arrange your life to suit your new goal. It should be achievable. Make it the top priority, even if it means that you give up something (watching the news? No need.) or time meant for recreation. Set your goal, and set a timeline no later than 5 years from today. Start working on it now.
What can you do now? Perhaps you can just set a strict sleep-wake cycle on all 7 days. This gives you discipline to do the bigger things you need to do for your ideal life. Small steps, but it helps.
We can’t take back the years the locusts hath eaten, but we sure can change tomorrow.
