My Message

September 5, 2015

Preface

Back in 2015 I was rather obsessed with condensing all the important life lessons into simple, codified, conclusive statements. I tried to identify which core truths were at the root of all essential wisdom. I tried narrowing down my large list of "statements that somewhat summarize my ideals" into a cohesive message that would be my main motto: "My Message".

Unsurprisingly, this is strikingly similar to the motivational message I had written five years prior: A Short Life On A Small Planet.

What is the message?

  • Everything will be okay
  • Reflect/evaluate/examine
  • Be mindful/aware
  • Have drive
  • Take risks
  • Realize your full potential
  • You have the potential for greatness; don't settle
  • Life is short
  • Let go
  • The only thing you can control is the now
  • You can only change yourself
  • Love and accept yourself then others
  • Be confident/courageous, be calm
  • Share laughter, share love
  • Focus
  • Engage
  • Connect
  • People and your relationships, connections and interactions with them are most important
  • Fill your life with meaning
  • Achieve/accomplish individual goals/aims/objectives
  • Don't fear or worry
  • Love conquers all
  • Be passionate
  • In time, things change
  • Perspective shapes reality
  • Don't take life too seriously
  • Learn
  • Experience
  • Be open and honest

If approached/handled correctly, our greatest sufferings/hardships can be the most useful, meaningful, influential and beneficial experience in life. They each have the potential to teach us and give us newfound wisdom. Through them we can develop our inner strength, peace and will. We can seize each trial as a tool to forge meaning and build identity.

Acknowledge, recognize, process, reflect, evaluate, analyze, understand, accept, release, let go, cultivate, cease

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Perspective shapes reality.

What is your perspective on this world? What is your perspective on this life?

I invite you now to come and see the world in a new way. Take on a new perspective. Take on a new reality.

Start with the big picture:

Everything that we can observe, exists in the universe. Using the current technology on Earth, humans can observe 46.5 billion light-years in every direction into space. So far, humans have found that Earth is one planet of eight in a solar system of many billion in a galaxy of 80 billion in their observable sphere of the universe.

On Earth there are 7 billion humans. You make up 0.0000000145% of the Earth's population. The current life expectancy for humans in "well-developed" countries is about 75 years of age. In these countries, the average individuals mature around the age of 15 and sleeps an approximate average of 8 hours per day. This leaves one with only 350,400 hours mature, awake and alive. Life is short.

  • Don't fear or worry
  • Don't take life too seriously
  • In time, things change
  • Everything will be okay
  • The only thing you can control is the now
  • You can only change yourself
  • Focus
  • Realize your full potential
  • You have the potential for greatness; don't settle
  • Have drive
  • Find what engages you
  • Achieve
  • Take risks

Experience is the best teacher (and suffering even better still… [below])

If approached/handled correctly, our greatest sufferings/hardships can be the most useful, meaningful, influential and beneficial experience in life. They each have the potential to teach us and give us newfound wisdom. Through them we can develop our inner strength, peace and will. We can seize each trial as a tool to forge meaning and build identity.

Throughout all experiences one must be mindful and aware, leaving one's self ample time to process, reflect, examine, analyze, understand, and recognize all thoughts, actions, reasons, feelings, ideas, and values. Then one should come in open honesty to accept and acknowledge these things for what they are, cultivating the thoughts, actions, feelings, ideas, and values that are positive and reasonable, while releasing and letting go of those that are not.

When one learns to love and accept the self, one will be able to truly give and receive love and acceptance in consequence.

The most important and meaningful things in life are other people and your relationships, connections and interactions with them.

  • In time, things change.
  • Everything will be okay.
  • Don't fear or worry.
  • Don't take life too seriously.
  • Take risks.
  • Seize each failure as an opportunity for growth,
  • and each trial and tribulation as a tool to forge meaning and build identity.
  • The only thing you can control and change is yourself, here and now.
  • Focus.
  • Be engaged.
  • Realize your full potential.
  • Drive yourself to achieve all you can.
  • Perspective shapes reality.
  • Take time to think and reflect.
  • Examine all thoughts, feelings, ideas, and values that form your perspective.
  • In open honesty, acknowledge and accept them for what they are.
  • Cultivate those that are positive and reasonable, while releasing and letting go of those that are not.
  • Learn to love and accept yourself, so that you may, in turn, love and accept others.
  • The most important and meaningful things in life are other people and your relationships, connections and interactions with them.

perspective

  • a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.

  • true understanding of the relative importance of things; a sense of proportion.

  • the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed

  • the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance