Moving from the life we have to the life we want

Why not start with a night off from Netflix?

After reading my post yesterday about happiness and contentment, my friend, Dean, wrote a thoughtful response on Facebook, challenging me to think even more deeply about what I’d written. He also made the observation that he wished more folks were taking the time to consider these things.

That’s what I want to focus on today. Why do so few of us take time to actively think about life, meaning, purpose, contentment, and more?

I know for me, busyness is one answer. Life doesn’t stop. Work, family, friends, church – it can become all-consuming. We end up going from one task or errand to the next. When we do stop, all we have enough energy for is to crash in front of the TV and binge watch Netflix. (Which can be great, I should add. Sometimes.)

Thinking about bigger questions about life is the last thing we want to do. But if we want to break out of a life that consumes to us to one we live with intention and harmony, we must.

It is vital we think about what matters to us. We have to take time to ponder the things we’re pursuing in life and think about why.

We mustn’t waste our lives letting life simply happen to us; we have to choose the type of life we want and pursue that deliberately.

If we want happiness and contentment in our lives, it won’t happen by chance.

So this is my encouragement – to myself as much as anyone else – to always be thoughtful about life; to make space to think about who we are and what we want our lives to be about; to ponder what really matters.

Netflix will still be there if we allow ourselves the occasional evening off to think about the life we have, the life we want, and the steps we need to take to more from one to the other.

And our lives will be so much richer for living with intention.

Image: Kate Williams