We all feel down sometimes. Stuff happens. Sometimes life throws you a curveball. We feel all the feels, sometimes for a reason and sometimes for no good reason at all. Moments like that, as random as they are, have the potential to carry some pretty interesting realisations. My life’s latest curveball had me re-thinking one of the most basic realisations in life – time is limited.  

Time is limited

We don’t have limitless time and in a way, I believe it is a good thing to reflect on this every now and again. Yes, time flies by. Everyone tells us so when we are younger, but we have to get older until we experience it for ourselves: The older we get, the more time speeds up. And if I came to that realisation in my thirties, then what is it going to feel like in another two or three decades?! 

A reminder of our limited time might be birthdays, the passing of a loved one, an illness, starting a new life chapter or a million other things that drag the passing of time into the light of our attention.

There is no question that life altering moments will come. The real question is how we deal with them. 

I have decided to try deal with them - with everything - by wholeheartedly honouring life and being the most alive I can be.

I am enough, you are enough 

From that mindset of gratitude for what IS, I will honour life by striving for the things I’d like to see happening. I want to make sure that I feel that I spend my lifetime in the best and most meaningful way possible. I want to live it intentionally and with purpose.  

Sidenote: Time that you enjoy wasting is not wasted time! This is not meant to be a call to hustle for the most epic achievements in life every waking second. Achievement is a word that can mean all sorts of different things and again, it is up to each and every individual to determine what an achievement is and which goals in life are worth striving for. 

Sometimes being grateful for what is and flowing with what’s to come is an achievement. Sometimes, hustling for a bigger goal is the achievement. And everything in between.  

However, achievements are not needed to have a full and worthy life. Everybody, as long as they don’t harm anyone else, is already enough, worthy, deserving and whole. 

I am enough. You are enough. Our lives are enough. Just as they are. 

We do not need to achieve specific goals or hit certain milestones for our lives to be good lives, for us to be worthy. We already are. Everything else we make happen is a bonus. We are not achieving for the sake of the achievement. We are striving towards our goals because they are reflecting our core values, what we want to be like and what we want to stand for. Thus, honouring our lives by appreciating what we have and by pursuing what makes us full and happy. 

The ultimate goal

Does this even exist? Is there ever an end to the journey towards the ultimate goal? I don’t believe so. To me, it feels very much like a process and ever evolving. A balance between powering through for the things that you want and floating with life to see where it carries you, consciously and intentionally.

Live your life to the best of your abilities and as best as you can. Flow with what is, strive for what shall be and do it with intention, kindness and purpose. Don’t waste the life that you were given and live with your unique grain rather than against it. Don’t expect life to be something; question your expectations, review your path and your goals. Change perspective. Be.

This is my pledge. In the face of illness and the inevitable end of all things, this is what I want to apply to every step I take in life. To become more present, to achieve being as grateful as I can be and, ultimately, to honour the single most intense adventure there is for as long as I’m on it: Being alive.

One more thing before you go: I am fully aware that I am writing these reflections out of a very privileged perspective. Some of these concepts may widely apply, some might not. For some people, there might be more pressing priorities. This is my life situation and my pledge. Please apply everything you read here to your own as much as it fits. And if you want to take the time, read more about my stand on writing out of privilege here (soon). Thank you.