For the most part our lives don’t matter.
We fill them with activities, people, events, spaces, work and projects that simply exist to take up space.
Filler.
Boredom and killing time is the norm. It’s almost impossible to maximize every moment of life, but the intention of simply trying to do so can bring so much wealth into your life.
What about the things that truly matter, the actual difference makers in society and in the world. Art, books, and movements. All powerful and poignant. If there were unnecessary characters in our greatest novels they wouldn’t have been so great. In education we’re taught to add space to our work. Ten page essays become two pages of words that matter and eight pages of wasted time.
This trickles across every aspect of our lives. It shows up in jobs where over half the work can be done by a program. It shows up in wasted potential and laziness, rampant both in ourselves and others.
There’s power in less.
Less words said with more impact. There’s a threshold of diminishing returns and most of us live life on the wrong side of the line. Staying in relationships, places, and jobs years past the ejection point. Staying longer than your growth allows means wasted time.
You have limited time on this planet, in this sack of skin you take for granted.
We don’t appreciate our health until it’s gone, or friends until they’ve left. We’d rather shine light on our glory days than focus on turning our current reality into something worthy of glory.
Our possessions create ties and so do our beliefs.
How can we recognize our ties to move forward powerfully?
We act. Engage with what makes you uncomfortable so you can fully bloom.
Plunge headfirst into change, knowing that growth awaits on the other side. When in doubt stir the pot. Do something provocative that makes you come alive. Bring a new creative spark into the world where there was only a blank page. A something from nothing, but not a something for nothing.
The act of creating can be enough. Yes, you need to sustain a livelihood. Being broke and creative isn’t as glorified as it seems. Creativity can come out of necessity, but it’s much more pure when it comes from a place of fun. A certain joy can pervade your work and life instead of drudgery or necessity.
Creating a new slate isn’t easy, but can you imagine living without doing the work you’re doing? In needs to matter this much.
How can you make your life matter?