Those who do not lose their base endure ~ Lao Tzu
My biggest takeaway from this exercise is that living with intent improves your happiness. Regardless of if you live like an Epicurean, a Stoic, a Taoist, or your own personal philosophy, living with the deliberate intention to live the good life is beneficial.
Last week, I was in Las Vegas speaking about the purpose of higher education at a summit called, “Leadership in the Age of Personalization.” When I entered college, I did not plan on speaking at conferences attended by professionals. I also didn’t plan on starting and writing a blog. What I did plan on, however, was being “open” to wherever life takes me.
How can I live well if being busy invites acute stress into my life? Seeing the big picture enables me to recognize that I might as well enjoy life while I’m here. There is no time to save enjoyment for when I am not busy.
Genuine self-love entails recognizing that one’s tally of accomplishments does not equate to one’s worth. Self-love leads to the realization that accomplishments are secondary to authenticity, which is all you can offer this world. More importantly, being authentic is all you can offer yourself.
Being grateful for what I have now is all I can do. I will welcome with open arms all the good that this semester is about to offer. But I will not shy away from the bad either.
What I had perceived as loss was only change, and I have experienced change my whole life. I could see that change isn’t good or bad, it just is. Change is a part of life. It is life.
The more you read, the more you become cognizant of how much more there is to learn. This feeling can be frustrating, but it is also freeing. When you recognize that you don’t know everything, your faults and intellectual shortcomings become clear. This clarity helps you take the steps necessary to improve yourself. Reading, above all, helps you better understand yourself. You understand how you are connected to the world and what your role is to play in this life.
Sitting in traffic is a form of suffering that we have all experienced. Nobody likes traffic. Some of us (like me) are so averse to traffic, we would rather drive on the open road for two hours than sit in traffic for an hour and a half. Yet, if we view traffic from a different angle, we can realize that traffic isn’t the tragedy we make it out to be.
All we have is this present moment. Experience it! A life without mindfulness is a life reduced to going through the motions. A life whose course is beholden to the whim of your emotions. A life that cringes at the past and worries about the future.
As an adult (especially a young adult), being curious is the essential catalyst for identifying our passion. Allowing our minds to wonder and be curious is how we discover what we care about and why we care. And this understanding of what we care about and why we care about it is the secret ingredient in the recipe for living a good life.
