Midyear Musings
Another month done. Halfway through 2018. Six more months and it would be just another year gone by.
How much have we accomplished thus far? Is life all about the passage of time, or about how much we do or make in a given amount of time?
Do you measure life by how you feel?
If we want happiness – how does happy feel like? Stop for a moment and think about this: how do you want to feel? Whatever that it is – do what you need to do to feel that way.
Many times, I catch myself thinking about how much time I have wasted. It’s as if I look back at days, weeks, and months, only to realize that I’ve only been going through the motions but not really being fully alive.
But I don’t really think that’s 100% true. I think what’s true is that my idea of living constantly changes. Sometimes I want more, and other times, it is enough to simply exist.
And always, these ideas are influenced by what or who is around me. My husband is prone to saying that social media is evil – and he has a point. How many times have I looked at my social media feeds and come out feeling bad that I didn’t do this, or I haven’t been there, or my house doesn’t look like that? So many times.
But it isn’t social media‘s fault. I realized that I’ve allowed myself to compare my life with an idea of someone else‘s life based only on carefully curated photos. I judged myself.
It took some introspection, some inspiration, and some deep conversations with like-minded people, plus the husband, for me to come to terms with the reality of the choices we make in life. Because ultimately, that is why we are where we are in this season of our lives. It’s about the choices we make. It’s about what we prioritize.
That’s how I managed to stick to the habits I learned when I gave my health a reboot. That’s how I’m finding time to spend with the people I want to surround myself with. It’s also how I’ve managed to complete 8 crochet projects so far this year, and read 16 books! It’s also how we’ve now managed to travel to two countries in less than a year’s time vs ZERO travel in so many years.
Life is all about what we make space and time for. When we look at it that way, I think, it opens us up to nearly limitless possibilities.
This is not to say that I’m living the life. I am also a work in progress. I know that I am still making bad choices, and my daily actions still don’t reflect my vision for the future I want to have. I am inspired – but more often, as it appears, not inspired enough to take real action. Understanding that, I am less frustrated by how much I haven’t yet achieved.
Inspiration. Choice. These are the precious first few steps, but they are not enough to make our dreams a reality. That requires consistent and focused action. That’s why I share this note to the world, not to preach, but really to remind myself to
Choose your vision. Get up. Show up. Do the work. Make it happen.
24/100
July 12, 2018 @ 11:31 am
I agree with you that it’s really about the choices we make and how we react to the things and events around us. As I get older, mas nag-gravitate na ako towards the simple things, simple living. Few, better things, ganyan. Socmed is fun, pero yun nga, it tends to make people compare their lives to those of others. If there’s one thing I learned and remind myself always, it’s that comparison is the thief of joy. It’s hard not to compare because it’s human nature, pero importante na meron tayong sariling plano at mga goals na alam nating unique sa gusto natin mangyari sa buhay natin. In the end, it’s about choices and making decisions pa rin talaga. 🙂
July 12, 2018 @ 2:53 pm
Ganun yata talaga, as we gain more life experience we get to see things more clearly – in terms of what’s really important for us. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your thoughts.