Growing up, I never quite understood how people can fall into the routine of waking up, going to work, coming home, eating, sleeping and repeating everything the next day until the weekend. Now that I'm working full-time, I understand how easy it is to fall into this trap.
You come home tired from work, and all you want to do is sleep. You wake on Monday wishing it were Friday, and you dread going to bed Sunday night. It's easy to fall into this simple routine, but it's also terrifying and depressing.
It's scary how easy it is to go through the motions of life, doing what we need to do just to keep existing. Furthermore, it's depressing to think that we can go through the majority of the week not even enjoying it.
Sure, weekends, days off and vacations are awesome, but they don't make up the majority of our lives. Like it or not, we're gonna be working for the majority of our lives to provide for ourselves. So the question becomes how do we make the most out of our lives even if we are working most of it.
I don't have any revolutionary ideas or deep insights regarding how to do this; I just have an easily forgotten reminder: make every day count.
As you're going to work, play some music, listen to an audio book or do something else that'll make getting ready and commuting to work more enjoyable. While you're at work, look for ways to enjoy yourself. Maybe even complete a task that leaves you personally satisfied, even if you don't get a lot of recognition for it. If you can, eat with one, or a group, of your coworkers. Make plans to get lunch with a friend you've wanted to catch up with.
One of the most important tips for actually living life is to be more aware. Did you notice if there were any clouds in the sky today? What did the breeze feel like? Were there birds chirping outside your window when you woke up this morning? We often overlook the simple things in life. By paying more attention to the world and people around us, though, we remain grounded in the present and get more out of each day.
I'm not saying don't look forward to the down times in life, but rather to find ways of breaking the monotony and to actually live. When we start making the best out of every day, we begin to care more about the world around us and how we can enrich our lives (and hopefully others' lives, too).
