A thought from our buddy Nietzsche [Twilight of the Idols]:
Live your life (today) as you would desire to live again forever.
Everyday as a mini-lifetime
I like this idea:
If your day [today], the 24-hour chunk of time today, were to be put on loop forever, would you want to wake up tomorrow to repeat the same exact day, into infinity?
Of course any day [no matter how exciting] would become a hell if you were to repeat the same exact day forever.
But this is my thought:
In terms of how you generally live your life– would you desire to live this lifestyle forever, assuming you could never retire?
Don’t think of retirement
The biggest problem:
We live our lives as if we are waiting until we retire, before we “really” start to live our lives.
But what if you could never retire? What if you could never achieve ‘financial independence‘? Then how would you live your life?
What do you want to do in a 24 hour day? What don’t you want to do in a 24 hour day?
A very simple idea:
What are the necessary ingredients to give you the maximal feeling of joy in a 24-hour day?
For myself:
- Some small form of novelty or living surprise in a given day.
- Maximal energy in a given day [enough sleep, and enough good coffee/caffeine in my system].
- Lovely dinner (can be simple, preferably meat-heavy). I don’t need to eat breakfast or lunch.
- Physical activity (lifting weights, walking, exploring)
- Making art (this is essential. Making photos, making images, making blog posts, making videos).
All upside in life, no downside
What this means is this:
This life is your only life. Live your life with all upside, no downside.
Strive to make everyday a ‘perfect’ day. Constantly strive to become more, and achieve more. Don’t believe in an uncertain future.
ERIC