I think that we all strive for a meaningful life. We do not want to breathe our last breath and look at missed opportunities. That concern goes beyond something as narrow as a focus on professional success. We all have an inner child that occasionally needs to come out and play. It is just the case that our inner child plays in different ways for each of us and as we age.
A Meaningful Life Requires Intention
All work and no play not only makes Jack a dull boy, but it also reduces our productivity and joy in life. This is a challenge for everyone. However, those of us that love our job and have found our calling are more susceptible to this than those that hate their daily grind. Therefore, our default approach to “fun” is often to skip it and instead dive deeper into our calling. There is a time for this, but there is also a time for enjoying life and things that exist outside of our career. That means we need to think about having fun and plan for it. We are not likely to just stumble into a fun time.
Planning To The Rescue
Our lives are busy. That is just how we are. Thus, everything that matters is most likely to get proper attention when we schedule it. Yes, it is almost sad that we are discussing planning our fun, but that is how we roll. I have seen schedules (and made them) that include things like working out, eating, quiet time, and other activities that “normal” just do as part of their daily life. We are squeezing every minute out of life possible, so the common gaps and “free” time are luxuries we tend to eschew.
It is easy to look at a schedule for a week or month ahead and focus on all the goals that the plan accomplishes. However, there is a downside to a full and busy schedule. It can be exhausting. Even worse, we can get to the end and find that those goals we achieved were great, but feel that we could have done something better. Maybe we could have lived life in a fuller manner.
I know this is a difficult concept to grasp and a hard one to adopt. However, give it a shot and see how it works for you. Who knows, you might even have a more meaningful life and enjoy it more than you already do.
