No, seriously.
Put down the TV remote, bag of potato chips, IPhone,
get off your gluteus maximus and go outside.
Feel that? Yeah, that’s this
awesome natural phenomena called sunshine.
Feels good, right?
Feels good, right?
Granted,
there are times when I actually make the DIY’s I pin or watch nerdy educational
videos, but many times I just mindlessly browse through web page after web page
like a zombie without really gaining anything from it.
So why do I spend countless hours on things that
don’t really add anything to my life, and make me feel like poop after I think
about all the wasted time I spent?
Probably because it is a lot easier checking email
or Facebook or Instagram than actually doing the things that make you feel good
and fulfilled.
Exhibit A: I have a bucket list board on my
Pinterest with things that I want to do ranging from finishing a knitting
project (which I recently just did!) and go paintballing to try zip lining and
go on a mission trip. The sad thing is
that many times people have all these awesome and ambitious goals, but they
much rather talk about them or “pin” them than actually take steps to accomplish
them (mostly I’m talking about me…but I’m sure this goes for just about
everyone).
It’s sad to think that all the time I spent on
things that don’t actually make me happy or fulfilled could have been used to carry
out my aspirations or to help people or animals or the world in general.
That being said, I was fortunate enough to accomplish some items on my bucket list this summer and do some truly worthwhile activities before I go back to college. Some of these include:
- Getting my first, official full-time job
- Spending quality time with friends and meeting new people
- Going on a trip to the Adirondacks with friends and climbing Mount Marcy…New York’s highest mountain!
- Finishing my first knitting project
- Exploring Penn Caves in PA, going to a Renaissance Festival, jet skiing, boating, camping, playing tennis, having movie nights, having campfires, going to the drive-in, and a bunch of other fun excursions.
It has definitely felt good to actually do the things on my list as opposed to just thinking about them and daydreaming that they would happen. One of my adventures this summer that helped to remind me to actually do the things that I desire to do as opposed to thinking about them was when I went on a road trip with friends to the Adirondacks, and we climbed to the top of Mount Marcy. It took us around 11 hours to go up and back down the mountain, but it was definitely well worth the time. Although the “trail” up the mountain was more like a steep, rocky creek bed and it was often monotonous and a pain-in-the-butt (literally!) to climb, the feeling of being at the top of the mountain was, for lack of a better word, awesome!
 |
| Indian Pass: the halfway point to Mt. Marcy |
It was definitely a better feeling to actually climb
the mountain than to “pin” about climbing a mountain from the comforts of my
living room couch.
This brings me back to my original point of getting
off your heinie. Stop dreaming about
doing something/being something and actually take physical steps to do it. If it is a huge dream like traveling the world,
then start a savings account specifically for that goal. If it is something smaller like working out
on a daily basis, then start small by exercising for 15-20 minutes a day.
***Side
Note: As always, whenever I give advice on my blog, it is usually because I’m
the one that needs it the most.***
As everyone knows but so rarely actually
understands, our lives are finite. We
are not sparkling Edward Cullens who live forever. People have died before us, we are one day going
to die, and people will die after us.
The book and movie The Fault in
Ours Stars by John Green and the ice-bucket challenge that has blown up
Facebook to raise awareness for ALS has really made me recently contemplate
this idea. I mean, everyone knows they are going to die, but I think
it is a concept that often seems so abstruse and distant.
The overall reality is, however, that we are all
going to die, and the one thing that actually matters is how you decide to spend
your time while you are alive. With so
many external factors we don’t have control over (like cancer, ALS, other
people, etc.), it is comforting to know that we do have control over how we use
our time and our attitudes/outlooks on life.
Maybe it is
just me, but I also find it kind of reassuring to know that I’m not the only
person who is going to eventually be pushing up daisies. I think just realizing that all of humanity
will “suffer” (I put this in quotation marks because I don’t think death
necessarily equals suffering) the same end gives you a sense of connection and
empathy to and for your fellow man.
Since life is so fleeting, uncertain, and often
uncontrollable, it doesn’t make sense to deliberately waste time on things that
do not add anything to your life. Let go
of any item/idea/person/belief/insert-any-other-factor that is holding you back
from doing what actually makes you feel happy and fulfilled in life (and I mean
happy/fulfilled for the long run, not just what makes you the mind-numbing,
instant gratification kind of happy).
Go out and help people.
Create something.
Learn something.
Meet new people.
See new places.
Try new things.
Expand your way of thinking.
Challenge yourself.
Do
something.
Get off your ass, and make your own way in this
crazy, messed-up, and beautiful world.
Because you know what is a hell of a lot scarier
than temporary discomfort, fear, and even death?
Regret.
NOTE: Here are some interesting YouTube videos that relate to this post. The first one is about productivity by AsapSCIENCE, and the other is a Vlogbrothers video by John Green.
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