I’ve grown weary of internet lists (10 Best This, 15 Important That, etc), but yesterday my friend sent me one that I really like: “10 Things That The People Who Love Their Lives Are Doing Differently“. Among many good points, one that I find particularly salient is:
“When you ask them what they do, they respond with what they do in their lives, not what work they do in order to pay for the lives they want to one day be living. The real trick is that these individuals know better than to wait to live the lives they want to live. You live life whether you accept or ignore the fact, how you live it in the moment determines how happy you are”.
When someone asks me what I do or what I’m up to, my answer seems usually to not quite fit into the parameters of what the person asking me was looking to hear. Saying what I do in order to make money gives insight into only a tiny fraction of my life – a fraction that I don’t award much importance to. Why doesn’t making money matter to me? Because when you die it doesn’t matter how much money you have, or have made. When someone asks me what I do, I usually start off by listing the things I do for fun: hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and traveling. Skiing and winter hiking top the list in the cold months. Then I mention work. My life is built around things I do for fun and for others.
For many people, work is the first thing they mention. My current career track (starting a non-profit) isn’t going to make me money for a bit; therefore I find it neccessary to take random jobs in order to pay the bills. I do what I have to do. I work at two fitness centers, yet that says very little about me personally, except perhaps for the fact that I have an affinity towards wellness.
Asking what someone “does” is definitely one of the most common conversation starters out there. What do you say when someone asks you what you do?
Instead of asking someone what they do or what they’re up to, I always like to ask people what they do for fun. The majority of people don’t have an answer right away. I used to not either, until I started living the life I want to live now.
Going places with no static 