WE ALL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO LIVING
You are not a brand, you are not a product
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You are happening to life, life is not happening to you.
You were not made for the system, the system is made for you.
You are more than the concept this formality of reality has to offer.
A person who is aware of this is also aware of the dilemma that is embodied in this understanding.
I have seen many of my friends in their 20s 30s and even 40s trying to figure out what is it that they want to do.
What is the purpose in life?
Some depressed might as well express that life is not more than an involuntary suffering.
This is a very painful state to be in.
I was stuck in a similar situation and found out the answer with a very simple process that I came up with for myself.
And I wish people stuck in this phase to have some hope and come out of it.
Here is some good news for you — you are a rare minority who has the courage to question the meaning of existence and your purpose in it.
Let this feeling motivate you rather than feeling depressed.
Thank god you are not stuck in the trap of “productising” yourself.
That you are not a brand or a product.
Congratulations, you are not on sale and don’t live on the shelf.
But there is an internal conflict, that persists.
What should I do in life?
Will I ever be successful and find contentment?
Will I live on my terms and still be at peace with my surroundings?
It has to be rightly answered too.
You and only you can answer these questions for yourself.
Before I give you the blueprint to find the answer for the existential purpose, it is important to understand, Where does this feeling come from?
The question of one’s purpose in life arises from questioning itself.
A person who is aware of what going around often questions those things.
It might be the work, looking at one friend sleepwalking to the job every day.
Or it might be looking at a new mom trying to juggle multiple things at a time.
Do I need to do all of this? — Find a job and start a family?
This is a good sign.
If a question arises in the mind about mundane things happening around you, you are more inclined towards introspection.
You are thinking about the person who is thinking.
Spiritual.
But this introspection should not end just there.
There is more to it.
This body is a slave to the rituals of living.
Your mind is free.
In foot forward to be in this existence one has to find answers to the basic questions of living a day-to-day life.
Food, Shelter, Sex.
This is an opportunity to do things rather than abandoning life itself.
A calling to figure out what you really want out of life.
How can you live on your own terms and do things that are aligned with your nature?
STEP ONE: Take a break
Take a break from the things that are burning you out.
Sit in the garden doing nothing.
Wake up whenever you want and eat whatever you want.
Sleep. Like a baby.
We are bombarded by unsolicited advice about what we should do and not do in life.
Habit of highly successful people and 7 foods that will make you more productive and whatnot.
We are not preparing ourselves for war with this military regime.
No one is a foe.
There is no competition. You are unique and there is no one like you.
Do nothing.
For a week or as much time as you like.
Just be.
STEP TWO: Let happen
When I was doing this exercise.
I tried many different things.
Doing things intentionally. Time assigned or not assigned.
But one thing that worked best is this.
Letting things happen.
Now that you have decided to do nothing, what are the things that happen on their own accord?
What are the things that you do anyway?
Without any constraints — it should be done, it is supposed to be done and so on.
Apart from the daily rituals like nature’s call, I found things that I can\’t absolutely resist doing.
Like reading poetry, sketching, posting on Reddit, reading scriptures meditating; and of course writing.
This can be different for everybody.
You have to do this exercise from a very non-judgemental state of mind.
You have to be aware of the factors that might externally influence your way of doing things.
Although you cannot eradicate them, just be mindful of it.
List out these things on a piece of paper.
STEP THREE: Act
Now that you have found the activities that occur naturally to you.
Things that have a natural flow aligned with your own nature.
It is time to go through the list and segregate them into two categories.
One — Leisure, Two — Business
This is a crucial step as you are now attempting to incorporate a way of living which will not only lead to contentment but also allow you to earn income for your needs.
An example would be:
Leisure — reading, meditating, gardening.
Business — Pets, writing, designing.
Now act on this.
This is an amazing discovery. You have finally found what you want to do.
Formalise it. Start the blog, buy new books, and go on a meditation retreat.
Once you have found the true purpose of your life, the sky is the limit to the happiness you can get from life.
Be Mindful of these facts though:
Nothing is permanent. Do this activity periodically. At least once in 3 months. Some interests stay some fade away.
Be courageous about your findings. They are yours and own them.
It’s okay to have dreams that other people don’t understand.