At 26, I realize that I have never lived my life as fast as the last three years. Between startups, my outdoor outings and evenings with friends, I don’t see time go by. Despite a busy schedule, I find time to have a good night’s sleep, to stop to reflect and to learn new things.
When someone tells me they don’t have time to live, I feel a mixture of frustration and sadness. On the one hand, I’m sad that the person feels that way, and on the other, I want to yell, “Oh yeah? So what are you going to do to change that?”
Work takes up a lot of space in my life and it’s something that is often seen as unhealthy by most people. The slovenia telephone number data reality is that it’s harmful when you’re not happy with your decision to put work at the center of your life.
For me, I decided to make work a priority several years ago. After 5 years, I’m still happy with that choice, because I do two very specific things. One, I regularly reevaluate my priorities. Two, I don’t make decisions to follow a predetermined path.
Choosing your priorities
There’s always a good excuse for not doing something. The reality is that the reason you’re not doing something is because it’s not a priority for you.
If you’re not going to the gym but you always tell yourself you should, it’s time to move your workout up a priority list. We often hear people say “I don’t have time,” and this can be a detriment to their happiness.
It’s not about having time, it’s about making time. – Unknown
Sometimes I catch myself being online-formspng gro wthIn sights jealous of someone’s “Instalife” who is in Bali or Iceland. It lasts for about 2 minutes, then I realize that if I’m not in Bali, it’s because it’s not a priority for me.
It’s easy to lose focus and believe that we’d rather be living someone else’s life. It’s important in those moments to remember what’s truly important to you.
I put work at the top of my list, thinking that if I became the hardest working person in my life, I could accumulate 30 extra weeks of work for every year I worked. And I would accomplish everything I wanted.
Despite all the hours worked, I don’t feel like I don’t have time to live. On the contrary, I feel like every second I live. When I analyze a situation in a startup to find a solution, I live. When I find myself on the ridge of a mountain with breathtaking landscapes, I live. When I drink a gin and tonic with friends, I live.
Finding your own life balance requires a lot of honesty with yourself. You have to be able to put everything in the right order without being influenced by external factors. You have to be aware that you can’t have it all. Your actions have to match your ambitions. When that happens, things become clearer and you will have taken a step closer to your own happiness.
Decide outside the box
It sounds easy when you say it like that, but in reality, you can imagine that it is more complex than just writing a list. To prioritize, you have to continually make choices and that is not easy. However, I find that the more difficult the decisions are to make, the greater the impact on my happiness will be. So, it is worth it!
There have been a few times when I have woken up in the morning and said to myself that I need to change something in my life. I have made several difficult decisions and these are certainly not the last.
● At 17, I left Quebec to live in the greater Montreal area.
● At 19, I dropped out of CEGEP after following four different programs.
● At 20, I had $10,000 in student debt, lived in an apartment, and gave up a full-time job to focus on learning about startups.
● At 23, I left university to work with a friend in a startup.
● At 25, I had $20,000 in student business to consumer reviews debt and agreed to join a startup with a smaller salary.
These are all choices that I found difficult to make at the time, but which have contributed greatly to defining me as a person. And above all, these decisions have contributed to my happiness.
At many points, it didn’t seem like the right decision to make. Most people aren’t going to advise you to quit a stable job when you have a debt to pay off. When my parents question my choices, it’s a sign that my decision isn’t following the path suggested by societal norms.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain
However, I don’t make decisions because they follow standards, I make them because they align with my priorities. And that’s important, because that’s what got me through the tough times. The ones where you feel like giving up. If I let myself be guided by what I “should” do, I probably would never have done three-quarters of the things that made me happy.
You’re often just one choice away from being happier, but will you have the courage to make the decision? And more importantly, accept the consequences that come with it? If you’re not ready, that’s OK. Start with smaller choices and work your way up. You’ll get there!
A life of prioritization and decisions
After 9 years of regularly defining my priorities and making small and big decisions, I move forward with a smile on my face (figure of speech) in life.