62. On a satisfying life
I realized how to be satisfied in life. This is not the ultimate end-all solution though. You can have an amazing life and still feel incredibly unsatisfied. People have always asked "what is the meaning of life?" and I would always reply, "to have a life of meaning." I've been spending some time thinking about what my meaning is for a while. Honestly, still stuck, but I'm getting a little better and better each day.
Take any situation in life. Assume things are going "perfectly". Now assume things stay in that configuration constantly. You'll find, no matter how amazing that situation is, unless something changes, your mind will adapt to it and rebrand it the "norm". This is your new normal. At this point, you will start to get bored. Boredom will turn into unhappiness. (Even though you're in what you used to think as your "ideal" situation)
Here's the thing about the human mind. It doesn't like things to stay the same, it needs constant changes that make life into something more than a recurring pattern. You'll feel unsettled. You'll feel like you're itching for a change.
What you need to realize is that failure is good. Without downs, the ups have no meaning. Every time you fail and become sad, you're setting yourself up for being incredibly happy at your next victory. Imagine it in terms of a roller coaster. If it were flat all the way through, it wouldn't matter whether you were really high or at ground level, nothing would move. It would be boring. The fun parts are when you're falling fast towards the ground, but you can't get there without first slowing down and going up. Too much sun makes a desert. Too much rain makes a flood.
I really do think life is about the meaning you ascribe to it. If it feels like something is missing, perhaps something really missing? Time to add something new. Read more books, start more hobbies, travel more, etc.
After reading enough books, climbing enough rocks, solving enough puzzles, playing enough chords, whatever you choose to fill your time with, you may find you're getting better at them, and that it's easier to start and seek out new, positive interactions that leave you feeling good about your life. Then some time passes and you realize all the time you spent doing that thing with any amount of progress achieved, you were actually living and giving your life meaning.
~ ruminating,
<3 K