How to live and not just exist
July 24, 2007
Dumblittleman has an awesome post on 39 ways to live life and not merely exist. Most of us probably aren’t doing it and this is a good reminder. All the 39 points are gems but a few of them caught my attention as they’ve been the ones I’ve been trying to follow (and some I’ve been wanting to follow) and advocating to people close to me.
They include (I quote from the article) My comments are in italics.
Find your passion. Find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to do. First, think about what you really love to do. There may be many things. Find out how you can make a living doing it. It may be difficult, but you only live once.
I’ve always firmly believed in this and this only re-iterates what it takes to find your passion.
Turn off the TV. How many hours will we waste away in front of the boob tube? How many hours do we have to live? Do the math, then unplug the TV. Only plug it back in when you have a DVD of a movie you love. Otherwise, keep it off and find other stuff to do. Don’t know what to do? Read further.
Travel. Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you’re older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world. If need be, find a way to make a living by freelancing, then work while you travel. Only work an hour or two a day. Don’t check email but once a week. Then use the rest of the time to see the world.
Enough said 
Rediscover what’s important. Take an hour and make a list of everything that’s important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.
This is also a very important step and you’ll want to refer to it when things don’t go the way you want them to go.
Be positive. Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can’t do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!
When you suffer, suffer. Life isn’t all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes sick. A parent dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. This is a part of life — really feel the pain. And when you’re done, move on, and find joy.
I think it is very much important to feel the pain. Keep to yourself for a while and sink in the pain to know how it feels like. This has 2 benefits. You would know what pain and suffering feel like and you would appreciate people and relationships better once you come out of it.
Play with children. Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them, instead of thinking you know so much more than them. Play with them, and learn to be joyful like them.
Talk to old people. There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories. Give you advice on making a marriage last or staying out of debt. Tell you about their regrets, so you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society — take advantage of their existence while they’re still around.
The author has conveyed what i feel. I don’t have anything to add to it.
Be in the moment. Instead of thinking about things you need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible through meditation, but also through ringing your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.
Spot on!
Read the complete list here. I’d like to hear your views on the same.
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This is the personal blog of Shriram who digs travel, music, movies, trains and tea.
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July 26th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Lovely! Thanks for the link - amazing stuff. Things like these always brighten my day & make me make all these plans for the future
Hope you’re well!
July 26th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Good to see you here Mel
I am glad you like the link.
Plz do drop in when you find time