It’s been a while since I’ve posted. That’s because a lot has been going on. Namely, I was in a high speed car accident. Fortunately, I wasn’t injured, but it forced me to think about my mortality. I could have easily lost my life that night. Am I spending my time doing things that truly make me happy?
Despite concentrating much of my career on helping others improve their lives I realize that there are ways that I could be leading a more meaningful life. There are so many things that I’ve been wanting to do, but I haven’t had the motivation to pull the trigger. I’ve been more concerned with leading my ordinary life. Today I have decided to “opt out of ordinary.” Here are just a few ways that I will start this journey:
Live without a car. This one’s easy since my car was totaled. I was surprised by how many people assumed I would simply replace my car and bury myself in thousands of dollars in debt. I am not replacing my car. From this point on I will be using a bicycle, public transportation, car share systems, and my feet. This will force me to take notice of how I travel, reduce my carbon footprint, and I will save a ton of money. If you live in a city it’s not hard to change your lifestyle to run without a car.
Learn to say “no”. I’m the kind of guy that tries to please people. Do you tend to say “yes” way too much? Contemplating mortality has reminded me that we don’t have infinite time. I can’t afford to go to every party, or do every favor. Neither do you.
Refocus your energy on your passions. I love helping other people with their problems in dating and fitness. It’s what makes me wake up in the morning. We tend to get caught up in everyday life, and forget what’s really important to us (even when we have our dream job). If you aren’t doing what you love, start. If you don’t spend your life doing what you love you will regret it.
Get rid of the dead weight. If you’ve read my blog before you know that I live a minimalist lifestyle. I limit my possessions to what’s necessary. Despite the fact that I own less than most Americans, there’s still a lot of fat to cut. I love the carefree feeling of having few responsibilities. Many possessions mean more things to worry about. Unnecessary stressors slow us down. They take our focus away from what really makes us happy. That’s the last thing we need.
You don’t need to have a life-changing car accident to have a life-changing moment. You can do it right now. It takes a commitment to yourself to change things for the better. It won’t happen overnight, but if you are patient and make small changes you will find that they will take you far. Don’t hate yourself if you stumble from time to time, just keep going.
