How Do You Want to Live?
I've recently been doing a lot of thinking. Mostly about what I want to DO with my life, how I want to spend my numbered days. I was reintroduced to some amazing blogs this past week, specifically The Minimalists and AJ Leon's blog Pursuit of Everything. These amazing men are doing something different with their lives, choosing to live a life that is radically their own, rather than the well traveled path that has been laid out for us.
It was well past midnight, and I could not fall asleep. I could not stop thinking about how I was wasting away my days watching Netflix, working a job I do not like, and spending all my money on unnecessary items, thinking it would make me feel validated, as if those boots I just bought were worth the trade of 6 hours of my life.
To stop the demons shouting inside my head, I grabbed my phone and wrote this down:
"Ultimately, what do I want from my life? How do I want to spend my limited days and hours and minutes? I think I'd most like to see the world and have amazing experiences with the people I love. I'd like to write a book about nutrition, influenced by other cultures. I'd like to have a blog about simplicity and travel and health. And I'd like to live in a way that inspires others.
I don;t want a boring office job that slowly sucks the life out of me. I don't want to descend into monotony, and become content with consumerism and the black hole that has become American culture. I don't want to live a mindless existence that is forgotten the second it ends. I don't want to live a life that blurs together, because every day is the same, unremarkable day as the last."
I was at a cross roads where I could continue to live the same way I always had, wanting to be different and live an extraordinary life, but being too scared to actually take the first steps, lest I fail. I'd wanted to start a blog forever but who was I kidding, I'm no writer. No one is going to read what I have to say.
I don't care. Nothing ever happens while you sit around waiting for it. If you want something you have to make it happen. And what do I want to happen?
In the words of AJ Leon, this is not your practice life. You get one life. Will you spend it mindlessly wasting away, waiting for something amazing to happen that never will? Life starts at the edge of your comfort zone. Will you be brave enough to make the leap?
xx
Ariel
It was well past midnight, and I could not fall asleep. I could not stop thinking about how I was wasting away my days watching Netflix, working a job I do not like, and spending all my money on unnecessary items, thinking it would make me feel validated, as if those boots I just bought were worth the trade of 6 hours of my life.
To stop the demons shouting inside my head, I grabbed my phone and wrote this down:
"Ultimately, what do I want from my life? How do I want to spend my limited days and hours and minutes? I think I'd most like to see the world and have amazing experiences with the people I love. I'd like to write a book about nutrition, influenced by other cultures. I'd like to have a blog about simplicity and travel and health. And I'd like to live in a way that inspires others.
I don;t want a boring office job that slowly sucks the life out of me. I don't want to descend into monotony, and become content with consumerism and the black hole that has become American culture. I don't want to live a mindless existence that is forgotten the second it ends. I don't want to live a life that blurs together, because every day is the same, unremarkable day as the last."
I was at a cross roads where I could continue to live the same way I always had, wanting to be different and live an extraordinary life, but being too scared to actually take the first steps, lest I fail. I'd wanted to start a blog forever but who was I kidding, I'm no writer. No one is going to read what I have to say.
I don't care. Nothing ever happens while you sit around waiting for it. If you want something you have to make it happen. And what do I want to happen?
- I want to start living a life of minimalism. Ive always been borderline, giving away lots of my things but always too scared to fully dive in. I will take the blog on this journey with me, show all the things I have reduced, all the ways I have minimized my possessions.
- I want to start living with greater intention. I don't want to sit around content with being bored, with wasting my life away watching pointless TV shows that don't add anything to my life.
- I want to travel, experience different ways of living
- I want to start meditating, teaching my mind to be mindful and alive
In the words of AJ Leon, this is not your practice life. You get one life. Will you spend it mindlessly wasting away, waiting for something amazing to happen that never will? Life starts at the edge of your comfort zone. Will you be brave enough to make the leap?
xx
Ariel
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