Live fully is our only imperative. Even if we forget it too often. The following account teaches us a great lesson: “A long time ago, a passionate and experience-hungry traveler visited a small town. Walking through its streets he asked several people if there was a nice and interesting place to visit in the area. Everyone replied that he had to visit the cemetery. Amazed by the suggestion, the traveler decided to go through the cemetery before leaving the country. When he entered it he was disappointed as it looked like a cemetery like any other, full of tombstones, trees and flowers. But when he began to look at the tombstones he found that on one it was written eight years, three months and a day, another reported five years, ten months and six days. The traveler was troubled. Reading all the tombstones, he realized that the person who had lived the longest was just over 11 years old. Overwhelmed with pain, he began to cry. The caretaker of the cemetery, who was passing by, approached to comfort him. The traveler took the opportunity to ask how it was possible that so many children had been buried in that place. Was it a curse? The old man smiled and said: - There is no curse. The fact is that we have an old habit here. When a young man turns 15, his parents give him a notebook like this one that I wear tied around my neck. From that moment on, every time we intensely enjoy something, we write down in the notebook how long this emotion lasted. For example, let's note how long the pleasure of the first kiss lasted, or that feeling of having butterflies in the stomach, the excitement of that much-desired journey or the joy of meeting loved ones who live far away ... moment that we fully enjoy. When someone dies, we read their notebook and add up hours and days to get the total length of time they have enjoyed in their life. So we write it down on his grave, because this is the only time he was really alive ”.Living to the fullest is the only urgent thing
Too often we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by things that are not important and allow them to ruin our day, which is truly the greatest gift we can receive. How many times have you felt depressed because you couldn't buy something you didn't need? How many times have you stressed yourself out thinking about problems that never occurred? How many times have you stopped enjoying the present because you were mulling over something that happened in the past? We can't change the world, but we can change ourselves. Living fully depends only on our attitude. Of course, this does not mean that we need to add extra stress by thinking that we are wasting time, but that we should just do what we can to live more consciously, which means being fully present and open-minded to enjoy the experience that is given to us every day.How do we get it?
1. Every moment counts, take advantage of itA beautiful phrase by the Nigerian musician Babatunde Olatunji gives us a clue: “The past is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. For this reason we call it present ". Always keep in mind that all you have, the only certainty you have is the present moment. Therefore, don't waste it living somewhere between a past that no longer exists and a future that you don't know if it will ever come. Enjoy the little joys when they come. It's you and your present, use this gift well.2. Be who you really areOscar Wilde said: “Be yourself, the other places are already filled”. To live fully it is essential that you are authentic and, above all, consistent with yourself. Do not let yourself be influenced by the pressures of society because they often distance you from your essence and distort your real needs. Each person is different, not only genetically, but also and above all in their experiences. These are the experiences that shape you, take advantage of them and use them to be happy. Find out what truly satisfies you and don't be afraid to be different. Be different and enjoy it.
3. Choose happiness, alwaysMore than two centuries ago Benjamin Franklin said: "Happiness is not achieved with huge strokes of luck, which can rarely happen, but through the little things that happen every day." The point is that happiness is not a goal but a state, a choice we make every day. And it's not a destination, but the way we travel. So, don't wait until you reach your goal to be happy, learn to enjoy the journey, because if you walk this path with bitterness and frustration or repress your desires, you will find that it will not be worth it.
4. Leave your fears behindDaniel Defoe said, "Fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrible than danger itself." Indeed, fears are our main obstacle, a barrier that prevents us from stepping out of our comfort zone and discovering what we could become. So that, in order to live fully, it is essential to be able to get rid of fears. In fact, if something turns you on enough to make you feel those little butterflies flying into your stomach, it's probably worth the risk. Remember that only when we step out of our comfort zone do we grow and discover how far we are capable of going.
5. Look for the meaning of your life“The key to a happy life is to achieve goals that you feel proud of and have a purpose to fulfill,” American novelist Jeff Lindsay once said. In fact, living to the full does not always imply looking for strong emotions that trigger adrenaline, but making the most of every moment. For this reason we must find the meaning of our life, because only then do we feel fully satisfied. In that moment it is as if all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, everything makes sense. Don't allow social formulas to limit you. Formulate your own equation of happiness and have the courage to pursue those dreams, even if they are different from those of others, but perhaps the key to living fully is much simpler and can be summed up in one sentence: "Stop thinking about life and live".
