Wise Words: Living My Life
I love quotes. I love applying quotes to my everyday life and being inspired by them. I love reading the wise words people have put down, and I love dreaming that someday, my wise words will end up on one of those quote sites (although I might have to do something amazing first).
Anyway, I found this quote online while researching some different ideas for blog posts. I really like the idea of analyzing quotes, so I'm going to make this a regular-ish column here. I've decided on a name, too. The basic premise is I'll ramble about nothing, then give the quote, and then ramble on about the quote. It'll be a fun time, I promise. So here we go...
There are so many variations on this idea--the idea of being oneself rather than someone else. But I really love the way Mr. Jobs phrased it. Our time is limited. On average, we are given eighty-five years on this planet. The first twenty are spent learning and forming ideas and opinions, so in actuality we really have sixty-five years in which to thrive...sixty-five years to live.
And we aren't guaranteed one minute of that. We really don't know what will happen tomorrow, so we must live for today. It's kind of a given. And I think we are all guilty of this...of "living" someone else's life.
Not literally, of course. That would be kind of difficult (and rather creepy). But with social media as prevalent as it is, it's hard not to compare your life with someone else's. They say that depression levels are highest after a person has been on Facebook--and it's no wonder! People are constantly posting vacation pictures and statuses (stati??) about the amazing thing their boyfriend did for them and cute stories about their kids and pictures of their weddings and announcements for their engagements and pregnancies and job offers...
It's enough to make someone clinically depressed. How else are you supposed to feel? Everyone else is out living their fabulous life, and you're stuck wherever doing whatever it is you do. I know any time I read about an engagement or see relationship pictures or wedding pictures, I find myself questioning my life choices and envying that person's life. Because I'm not engaged or in a relationship, and I'm definitely not getting married any time soon. I'm not having a baby or taking adventurous vacations. I'm living at home with my parents, teaching five days a week. I can't take a vacation in February (though I really would have loved that this year!), and I'm not writing fabulous novels or making important discoveries.
This is not to say I'm unhappy for these people or with my life. I love my job. I love that I don't have to pay rent. And 99% of the accomplishments I read about on Facebook, I find happiness in. There are only a few random friends from high school or college that seem to annoy me...probably because I don't know them as well as I should and am not as invested in their life as I could be.
But I have been working on the idea Mr. Jobs presents: living my life and not worrying about where everyone else is on their life journey. So you're in a relationship? Good for you. So your kids are doing adorable things? Congratulations. Someday...God only knows when, but someday, it will be my turn to post those things. And y'all had better just grin and bear it, because I've certainly done my share of grinning and bearing. Or grumbling under my breath. So feel free to grumble, too, I guess.
I promise not to overdo it when the time comes. Of course, if I end up dating Orlando Bloom (and he's single again, so it could happen!), I can't promise to keep that promise.
Just sayin'.
Stay gold!
Anyway, I found this quote online while researching some different ideas for blog posts. I really like the idea of analyzing quotes, so I'm going to make this a regular-ish column here. I've decided on a name, too. The basic premise is I'll ramble about nothing, then give the quote, and then ramble on about the quote. It'll be a fun time, I promise. So here we go...
Wise Words
"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else´s life." --Steve JobsThere are so many variations on this idea--the idea of being oneself rather than someone else. But I really love the way Mr. Jobs phrased it. Our time is limited. On average, we are given eighty-five years on this planet. The first twenty are spent learning and forming ideas and opinions, so in actuality we really have sixty-five years in which to thrive...sixty-five years to live.
And we aren't guaranteed one minute of that. We really don't know what will happen tomorrow, so we must live for today. It's kind of a given. And I think we are all guilty of this...of "living" someone else's life.
Not literally, of course. That would be kind of difficult (and rather creepy). But with social media as prevalent as it is, it's hard not to compare your life with someone else's. They say that depression levels are highest after a person has been on Facebook--and it's no wonder! People are constantly posting vacation pictures and statuses (stati??) about the amazing thing their boyfriend did for them and cute stories about their kids and pictures of their weddings and announcements for their engagements and pregnancies and job offers...
It's enough to make someone clinically depressed. How else are you supposed to feel? Everyone else is out living their fabulous life, and you're stuck wherever doing whatever it is you do. I know any time I read about an engagement or see relationship pictures or wedding pictures, I find myself questioning my life choices and envying that person's life. Because I'm not engaged or in a relationship, and I'm definitely not getting married any time soon. I'm not having a baby or taking adventurous vacations. I'm living at home with my parents, teaching five days a week. I can't take a vacation in February (though I really would have loved that this year!), and I'm not writing fabulous novels or making important discoveries.
This is not to say I'm unhappy for these people or with my life. I love my job. I love that I don't have to pay rent. And 99% of the accomplishments I read about on Facebook, I find happiness in. There are only a few random friends from high school or college that seem to annoy me...probably because I don't know them as well as I should and am not as invested in their life as I could be.
But I have been working on the idea Mr. Jobs presents: living my life and not worrying about where everyone else is on their life journey. So you're in a relationship? Good for you. So your kids are doing adorable things? Congratulations. Someday...God only knows when, but someday, it will be my turn to post those things. And y'all had better just grin and bear it, because I've certainly done my share of grinning and bearing. Or grumbling under my breath. So feel free to grumble, too, I guess.
I promise not to overdo it when the time comes. Of course, if I end up dating Orlando Bloom (and he's single again, so it could happen!), I can't promise to keep that promise.
Just sayin'.
Stay gold!
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