In the last few weeks, I have been deeply reflecting about my own life and what it all means to me. This period of deeper retrospection has come about partly due to the passing away of a close friend.
It has made me realize once again just how futile our daily strivings can be and also how petty our grievances really are. It is not to say that one should not have any goals nor allow others to simply push us around, but it is about getting a better perspective on what really matters in our lives.
My nephew Dipak sent me a wonderful poem a while ago which has hit just the right spot:-
We convince ourselves that life will be better once we are married, have a baby, then another.
Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough, and that all will be well when they are older.
Then we are frustrated because they reach adolescence and we must deal with them. Surely we’ll be happier when they grow out of the teen years.
We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire.
The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now.
If not, then when?
Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all.
For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start. Real life.
But there was always some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start.
I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life.
That point of view helped me see that there isn’t any road to happiness.
Happiness IS the road.
So, enjoy every moment.
Stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten pounds, to gain ten pounds, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy.
Happiness is a voyage, not a destination.
There is no better time to be happy than… NOW!
Live and enjoy the moment.
– Author unknown
Now to end, here are my own final words on making the most of your life:-
“Remember that your life counts – and make it count. You are unique. There is no one like you on this planet. Never has been and never will be.
Do not sell your self short. Do not sell the world short. This is your life – love it, live it. One life, one chance – grab it.
Get the life you love – and live it.”