Being lazy in a life without the guarantee of tomorrow

As time goes on I have found myself living with a lot more urgency to do things. Just to be active in general really and not wasting time doing very little. This could simply be getting out of bed without a lie in or taking a walk, if I am not doing at least something, I hear that life clock ticking.

This is why I have travelled to Australia. To pursue travel, space to blog on my own, experiences to gain and stories to share. But even when I wake up in my bed and feel the humidity instead of hearing the rain hitting my bedroom window back in the UK, it isn’t enough to convince me I am doing something different. I still need to get up and get busy.

Living in hostels I have encountered some backpackers that are happy to sit in bed all day. Reading a book with towels and sheets draped over the bunk above, their den is made and that is where they stay. I couldn’t do that, I just find it very hard to sit still without my brain making a mental list of the things I can be doing instead. Admittedly a walk down the river isn’t really being more productive, but my mind is at rest when my muscles are moving or mind being stimulated with changing views.

Another factor is time. The older we get, the more we value time. Or at least we should. I remember years used to seem like decades as a child, and with every year passing at an increasing speed with the losses that are inevitable over time, our hourglass seems to shrink.

The problem with this hourglass is we cannot see it. We don’t know when that last grain of sand will drop and our experiences come to an end. We can only accept and acknowledge this, make the most of the time and remaining grateful that it isn’t today. This is what gets me out of the house every day.

As a kid I always struggled to think of what I wanted to do as an adult. The obvious ones provide ambition and excitement as a young child, you know the thought of being a professional footballer or an astronaut. The time when we don’t know our limits and in reality, didn’t have any. As we mature a little into our teens our ambitions tend to dwindle. The harsh realities of life become apparent and get in the way of the things we want the most. This can be a major obstacle between what we wanted way back as fearless children and what we will become in later life. Some professions are highly unlikely however, such as working for NASA or playing for Manchester United. But our ambition for at least something should remain.

I remember at 17 my English teacher suggested I become a manager of a leisure centre as I enjoyed sports and the leisure and tourism course I took up. I was at an age when I felt that I had to sacrifice big dreams and tone it down a little. Be more realistic and settle as after all, what are the chances of us doing what we actually want to do in life? I found that my teenage/early twenties phase to be like that and after getting out there and exploring a little bit more of the world I managed to break free from that mentality. To get out of the bubble I had been in my whole life and see the world from a different perspective and mindset. This was the best thing I could have done and I am so happy I did.

I may have to settle for a job I don’t really want to do. But I have a love for writing, travel and photography from my iPhone and if I can free as much time as I can to pursue this then I will be a much happier person. It has motivated me to try and reduce the amount of time I am working by finding other ways to earn an income, if one day I start to get paid for blogging well enough to afford a professional camera or to only have to work part time, I would be twice as happy and more content in life than to do a job simply to pay the bills. This is why I blog and get up every morning, to constantly try to think of ways to achieve this. And without knowing how many grains of sand are left in the glass I have a huge reason to do so.

Too many people ran out of sand too soon, many of them not fully experiencing a life they wanted to. We will all run out of sand, and knowing this doesn’t have to be a curse but a blessing, for this is a way to truly find motivation to achieve and experience a life fully lived.

 

Featured Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

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Happy blogging,

Sam

Our normal needs more crazy

I don’t think this horse has a name, just a legacy. It is a recent addition to this street and has heads turning every single time. Why wouldn’t it? It is a horse on roller skates for crying out loud!

Then again, that is all it is. A horse and roller skates. Two very normal things combined to completely throw us off guard. Add some bright colours into the mix to truly go off the rails.

Normal+Normal=Crazy.

Something so simple is very effective at grabbing attention, it is that easy to stand out. Our everyday is very repetitive, our work patterns and dress codes, our watercooler conversations and elevator silences. A dog rocking pink shoes at the beach is like an oasis in the desert for our under-stimulated eyes and boy, did he like the attention.

There is a reason we weren’t satisfied with black and white television. There is a reason colouring books exist. Colour adds so much more to our lives. Nothing compliments a sunny day like a burst of colour. Nothing gives hope to a cloudy day like a brightly painted house or bright yellow camper van. We need colour to stay sane and these bright blessings aren’t given enough chance.

My flatmate never wears black socks with his suits. He insists that avoiding them makes him happier and more motivated for the day ahead. I insisted that my fathers funeral was a colourful one. Even the darkest days need light, you could say they need them the most. Can you imagine if we all decided to wear greens, yellows and pinks everyday? It wouldn’t seem attention seeking or over the top if it was the new normal.

We set the standard for what is normal, why not raise the bar a little? There would be an even greater appreciation for those that go beyond that.

To infinity!

 

On top of the world

Blogging is great therapy. My daily routine has changed completely since deciding to write every day and with that, my motivation to do so much outside of blogging. It is like obtaining a master key but not to enter a room, to escape one. A dark room that left little desire to spread a message, one that I wouldn’t want to spread without a healthy frame of mind.

That master key thankfully works to unlock so much more. I get out of bed earlier. I have breakfast. I will do twenty push-ups if I know I won’t be able to go to the gym today. I spend the day looking around for motivation for my next post instead of looking for a clock telling me when I will be able to go back to bed. I have more reason to get out of bed and more meaning to my days between sleeping.

Healthy eating is another, I don’t need to seek as much happiness from junk food. I have never been a very unhealthy eater but I am still seeing benefits. There is less boredom in my day, less desire to find excitement in areas that don’t benefit my body and mind. If my mind is constantly stimulated I have less time to rest my head on that pillow of procrastination. It is simple but effective. I used to be Indiana running away from work ethic, I prefer to be the ball of motivation chasing my doubts and pessimism away. Once it is rolling, it is much harder to slow down.

I enjoy being the ball.

I am saving money as I am not spending it trying to pass time. Saving for greater things to blog about. You will see where it takes me in the next few months, providing I don’t lose my passport before then. Ah! There is another positive. I don’t hate waiting for fun things I have planned later in the year as I am having fun today. They say good things come to those who wait. Why wait, and why not have fun everyday? It is possible. There is a huge wasted opportunity when living for something you have planned later in the year. All attention is on that calendar date and crossing the boxes until it arrives. What happens to the days that have been crossed off? Were they just seen as stepping stones? Each one consists of 24 hours, that is a huge chunk of time to let slip by. After a few of these it isn’t days but life that is slipping by. Don’t make that mistake.

The more I aim to do the worse I feel when I do not keep busy. As long as this busy consists of things that I enjoy, I feel good. It has been said that one of the biggest regrets from people on their death bed is working too hard. I believe that if work is your ambition and consisting of things you enjoy, it won’t be work. Our aim is to find work that we want to do, not that we need to do to keep going.

If I can live a life mostly consisting of what I enjoy, I will feel good. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best day is today. There is no quicker way to get to where you want than to start right now, and hopefully I will not have to ride so many cable cars to feel like I am on top of the world.