On The Shortness of Life Life Is Long If You Know How To Use It
Written by: Seneca
Translated by: C.D.N. Costa
Take some time right now to audit your days. How much time is actually spent on improving your well-being? How much time is squandered?
For many of you, you will realize that there is much more time squandered than you can be proud of.
Seneca talks a lot about how we are not focused on our own lives enough. It’s not an egocentric thought. I think it’s a theory that’s more prevalent than ever right now actually, given the great advancement in technology, especially the internet. There are so many others out there that want our attention, and with the available platforms, they can be pretty good at grabbing it.
In a world that is now so predominantly saturated with social media and marketing, we deviate from our self-development.
I recently heard a relevant self-guiding principle from someone that I found to be very effective. It’s really a spin-off of Newton’s Third Law put into a convenient language, but it is called “The More, the More Rule.” It goes like this: The more I ( work out ) the more ( body fat I will burn.) In that example, I focused on a positive action and positive outcome. The rule becomes more effective though when speaking of a negative action and negative outcome. For example: The more I ( scroll through Facebook feed ) the more ( time I am losing to workout, read a book, practice my instrument, and the more weight I am gaining, more negativity is being imposed on me, and the more nonsensical trolling I am witnessing. ) Okay, I added some personal taste to that, and it made me feel like I really shouldn’t have wasted that time on Facebook last night or this morning and I should have been doing some more productive things. Don’t be afraid to kick yourself in the butt a bit.
Coupled with distractions comes the yearning of the future, wasting even more time.
“Everyone hustles his life along, and is troubled by a longing for the future and weariness of the present. But the man who spends all his time on his own needs, who organizes everyday as though it were his last, neither longs for nor fears the next day.”
“Putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future.”
Many times we get distracted or engage in trivial activities even though we understand that we should be and could be doing other things that have greater importance in our lives.
Here’s an example of this:
Susy really enjoys working out, but she is caught up in watching a Netflix series. She has the time to work out, she knows that it will bring happiness and would be good for her, but she does not budge from her couch because she feels content enough with the show.
Time will pass for Susy, and she will realize that she missed her opportunity to work out. Susy will feel a desire for the future to work out and may experience anxiety.
Many procrastinate and long for the future as if there is an invisible wall that they cannot break through.
If an individual can overcome distractions and take on meaningful and feasible goals, they will be making good use of their time.
We have to remember that time is irreplaceable.
I was recently watching an interview with Warren Buffet, and he explained the dialogue he shared with a man adult about the man’s work life. The man said that he had worked at all of these places that he believed had helped him build a good resume and that he had to work at one more place in order to have the “perfect resume” to work for the employer that he actually wanted to work for. Warren told the man, “Well that sounds a lot to me like saving sex for an old age.”
We have to dive into our desires. Hold regular audits of your days. Be aware that we are mortal.
This book reminded me of the quote at the top of my blog.
“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
–Steve Jobs