Yes, it would be cool to have a new fancy car, a big house and expensive bags. But it’s usually the people who have all these desired materialistic things that know best: things don’t make you happy. Then what does make you happy?
It’s become a hobby of mine to ask my friends, family members and sometimes even strangers what they want from life. I sometimes ask things like: Are you happy? What would it take to achieve the next level of happiness? How do you picture your ideal life? What are your life goals? Career goals? Love goals? These questions aren’t easy, so it’s no wonder that there is usually a longer pause, some stuttering and multiple sighs. At this point we often deep dive into long conversations. Three very common words are “I don’t know” followed by “I don’t really know for sure”. Most agree, that they don’t want to strive after materialistic things “too much”. But a little house to call one’s own and a comfortable life without financial worries is always mentioned in some form or another.
My observations have lead me to focus on a single word: clarity. If there’s one thing I wish for my friends and family (and everyone else including myself) it is to gain clarity. What I mean is, consciously reflect and think about what it is that you truly want and don’t want. Try to formulate your truth, your own little recipe, without peeking over to your partner or neighbor. It’s easier said than done, no doubt. However, we owe this one to ourselves and to everyone we engage with. If you spend your life doing things half-heartedly, you are voluntarily going into regret debt. Most decisions seem overwhelming to us, because we aren’t clear and honest to ourselves about our objectives. Get clear about the work you want to do, the people you want to engage with and the partner you are looking for. Don’t let external circumstances dictate how you live your life. Once you have clarity for yourself, you will have it toward others too. The less we focus on doing and achieving things that we believe are expected from us, the better. After all, we are all authors of our own lives, aren’t we? Hence, I wish you nothin but clarity for this new year and all the upcoming ones.