Life: the one thing in the universe that holds true
intrinsic value. It perplexes me when someone is willing to give up on it.
People commit suicide each and every day – not only the type of suicide that
stops the beating heart. People choose to stop living more regularly than you’d
expect.
Losing the will to live is, unfortunately, common: It not
only afflicts those who find themselves in difficult situations, but also those
who seem to have everything they could possibly ask for. Living life happily
isn’t as easy as it should be, but I’m sorry to say that is our very own fault
and no one else’s.
Sure, life will throw you curveballs almost religiously,
but whether you choose to swing the bat or walk back to the bench is entirely
up to you. Life isn’t supposed to be entirely pleasant – it never will be, for
anyone ever. You will always find yourself pushing ahead against resistance and
that will never change. If it feels like things get easier as you get older,
it’s only because you aren’t pushing as hard as you used to.
Hopefully, this is because you’ve managed to achieve all
those things you hoped for in life. It’s possible – you can have your cake and
eat it, too. You can have a better life. You can be happier. It’s
attainable for every person in the world with a healthy body and mind.
Moreover, giving up on life is literally the most
illogical thing a person could ever do. If you’re giving up on your life then
I’m afraid you’re one of the dumbest people on the planet. Here’s why:
1. This may be all there is.
Put your religious faith aside for a minute and consider
the numbers. What are the chances that your religion has it right? What are the
chances that the information we are still missing in the realm of science is
likely to prove your religious beliefs true – to prove that there is life after
death?
I don’t want to get into a religious debate, but no
matter what you believe, you have to accept the fact that you might have it
wrong. Your ancient text might have it wrong. This may actually be all the
living that you will ever experience. You can believe what you like, but facts
are facts. Just as it can’t (yet) be proven that there is a God, there can’t
(yet) be proven that there isn’t one.
Don’t take a gamble and live the one life you have
half-assed, assuming that you’ll do better in your afterlife, or second life,
or whatever the heck you think happens after you die. The truth is that the
numbers aren’t in your favor. Consider that for a second before you keep
wasting your life.
2. There is always – and I mean always – a solution
to any problem.
It may not be the solution you are looking for, but it
will get the job done. The trick is coming up with that solution. How you come
up with that depends on you and the problem itself. However, knowing that there
is a solution to any problem that you may have should come as a relief.
Problems have the uncanny ability to make us feel
hopeless, trapped. But you aren’t trapped; there is a solution. There is a way
out of your predicament – your situation. You just need to spend some time
figuring out what you need to do in order to get to where you want to be.
Laziness is a poor excuse to give up on living.
3. Success is inevitable for those who are smart
and don’t give up.
In theory, achieving success is rather simple. You have a
goal or a destination you want to reach. You have a path or direction of
getting there. The only thing you need to do is keep moving in that direction
until you get where you need to go. Of course, the path that you’ll need to
take will involve a lot of trial and error, a lot of dead ends and U-turns.
What you need to keep in mind is that all those mistakes
you make along the way are necessary for you to get to where you need to be.
It’s really the mistakes that we can’t succeed without because it’s the
mistakes that teach us necessary lessons. Be smart and learn from your
mistakes. Keep forging ahead. You can’t fail.
4. A helping hand can always be found if needed.
I know that it can often seem appealing to go about life
on your lonesome. It can often be the smarter choice. However, there do come
times in our lives when we need others in order to get to the next chapter.
Such individuals can be found – you just have to be willing to look in places
that you wouldn’t expect.
People can often surprise us once we get to know them. We
just have to be willing to get to know them. Mutually beneficial relationships
are what actually make the world go round. Without them, it would be a much
more cutthroat world than it already is.
5. What gives life meaning is the struggle that we
live through.
I know it may seem silly at the moment, but consider how
your life would be if you never had to struggle with anything, ever. Imagine if
everything you wanted would just fall at your feet – you never have to work
hard for anything in your life. It seems like a dream come true. Until you
realize how incredibly boring such a life really is.
As human beings, we need to feel challenged. We need to
feel that we have accomplished something and the only way to feel as if you
have accomplished something is by having to struggle in order to get there.
Without struggle, life wouldn’t be worth living.
You’ll one day look back at your life and look back at
all your struggles with a smile. Some you surely overcame and others you likely
didn’t, but you’re smiling because you’re still alive and breathing. You’re
stronger than you know.
6. You are capable of having full control over your
reality.
Your life is what you perceive it to be and nothing else.
All you experience in life, all the things you do, all the things you see, all
the things you live through, all of that only has meaning if you give it
meaning. Otherwise, it’s nothing more than a blink in time. Because so little
has meaning outside of us, you can choose to give meaning to whatever you’d
like.
More importantly, you can choose to accept that certain
things in life are completely meaningless and deserve none of your attention or
worry. It may seem difficult to imagine yourself having such control over your
reality and your life – it’s not easy – but with practice, it’s possible.
7. There is a purpose for each of us waiting to be
found.
But that purpose isn’t somewhere out there in the world.
It’s inside of you. You need to take time to explore what you believe holds
importance in life. What exactly that entails is up to you, but know that it is
there to be found.
To live is to be capable of creating change. What you
want to change and how you want to change it is what defines your life and the
person you are.
Photo via We Heart It
