John Doe wakes up Monday morning to go to work. First thought: “Ugh, I don’t want to go to work.” But, he manages to keep going and it quickly becomes Wednesday. John Doe thinks, “Yes! Halfway through the week, the weekend is almost here.” And now John starts to count down the days until the weekend officially arrives. On Friday at 5pm sharp, John thinks “The weekend is finally here…time to have some fun!”
Friday night: fun.
Saturday night: fun.
Sunday night: dreadful because John Doe has to go to work tomorrow and is about to begin the whole cycle over again.
Does this sound like your typical week? I’d like to put a new perspective on your life and I’d like to thank a special person in my life (B.K.) for enlightening me on this topic as well. She said:
“We often wonder to ourselves how time is flying by so quickly. In a flash, our life passes before our eyes. Maybe if we didn’t spend five days of the week wishing and waiting for the weekends to come faster, time will slow down just a bit. Live out each day. Embrace every day, not just the weekends.”
Every word is true. Why do we live our lives waiting for the weekends? Why do we feel that we can only have fun on the weekends? You may be tired after work during the weekdays, but that doesn’t mean you should just go home every night and bum in front of the TV. Why not go out for an hour or two and feel more alive? Why not engage in activities that will stimulate your brain, body, and soul? Life will become less monotonous. Sure, the days may still go by fast, but at least this time you’re having tons of fun!
“But I’ve got a family. I’ve got a lot to take care of when I get home from work.”
Perhaps. But are there ways around it? Have the family work together to get any chores done so the family can participate in any activities together that night. You will have to be creative to make it work, but it’ll all be worth it.
Here’s a quick calculation for you: if we’re only fully living our lives on the weekends, that means we are enjoying our lives approximately 29% of our week, of our year, and of our lives! How ridiculous does that sound? That doesn’t exactly seem like we’re embracing each and every day of our lives.
Read the quotes above again from the Dalai Lama and B.K., and re-read it as many times as you need in order remind yourself that life is truly precious. Post the quotes up somewhere that you will look every day as a daily reminder if you need.
Life is short, don’t take it for granted. Instead, maximize every second and ensure that you enjoy every moment of it!
