As I've gotten older, I've become only more convinced of one thing: Life is never going to be exactly as you want it to be.
You may have an idea as to how you want your career, relationships, and friendships to be. You can try your best to will things toward certain outcomes -- whether by manipulation or sheer persistence --but they will never be ideal.
The main reason why is because people themselves are too volatile. Experiences and life circumstances shape us into who we are, a process constantly in flux.
I wish that I were a lot closer to many of my friends and relatives, but life has pulled us in different directions. Responsibilities like work and children, and even factors like distance, can change the whole complexion of a relationship.
And as much as I wish I could choose who I work with and the tasks I am responsible for, this just isn't feasible. There are aspects of my job that I like and others that make it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
So what am I getting at here?
Human beings don't have control over every aspect of their lives. Life is really what we make of it given the constraints put in our way.
Just because a job or relationship works at a certain stage of your life doesn't mean it will forever -- thus the reason job hopping and divorce are so prevalent in our society.
The only real constant in life is change. People you're close to today may become complete strangers three years from now. When context and life circumstances change, people grow apart. How many people whom we met back in elementary school remain lifelong friends? If we're lucky, two or three at most.
In the end, we have free will to do as we wish, but we must always remember to always take responsibility for our actions.
Life isn't perfect, but instead of lamenting that fact, we should be thankful for what we have today. Even if you lose friendships or suffer a breakup along the way, or are forced to leave jobs for whatever reason, think about what you learned from the experience -- and how it helped you become the person you are today.
You may have an idea as to how you want your career, relationships, and friendships to be. You can try your best to will things toward certain outcomes -- whether by manipulation or sheer persistence --but they will never be ideal.
The main reason why is because people themselves are too volatile. Experiences and life circumstances shape us into who we are, a process constantly in flux.
I wish that I were a lot closer to many of my friends and relatives, but life has pulled us in different directions. Responsibilities like work and children, and even factors like distance, can change the whole complexion of a relationship.
And as much as I wish I could choose who I work with and the tasks I am responsible for, this just isn't feasible. There are aspects of my job that I like and others that make it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
So what am I getting at here?
Human beings don't have control over every aspect of their lives. Life is really what we make of it given the constraints put in our way.
Just because a job or relationship works at a certain stage of your life doesn't mean it will forever -- thus the reason job hopping and divorce are so prevalent in our society.
The only real constant in life is change. People you're close to today may become complete strangers three years from now. When context and life circumstances change, people grow apart. How many people whom we met back in elementary school remain lifelong friends? If we're lucky, two or three at most.
In the end, we have free will to do as we wish, but we must always remember to always take responsibility for our actions.
Life isn't perfect, but instead of lamenting that fact, we should be thankful for what we have today. Even if you lose friendships or suffer a breakup along the way, or are forced to leave jobs for whatever reason, think about what you learned from the experience -- and how it helped you become the person you are today.
Comments