6 keys to a life well lived
In February of last year I was on a long drive in the Mexican countryside. I was on my way from Guadalajara to a little beach town called Sayulita. On the way you pass through Tequila, Mexico. Yes, this is where Tequila is from. There are Agave plants as far as the eye can see. It was a year into the pandemic and by that point I think we all were able to find some silver linings in the forced slow down. For me, it allowed me to refocus on principles that lead me to happiness. I shared them in a Twitter thread. Here they are in their original form, emojis and all:
February 27, 2021
Somewhere in Mexico
~Begin Thread~
Being stuck on a plane with no wifi = looking at old pictures on my phone and revisiting whats in my notes app. Anyone else do that? On ✈️ to GDL I found notes of life concepts/values/ideas so expanded it to a list. Now I’m on a long drive in 🇲🇽countryside so here’s what I got 👇
1. Momento Moré
A reminder that you are going to die. Reminding Yourself that your time is finite is the most effective eliminator of things that don’t matter. If you want something do it now.
2. Amor Fati
The love of fate. Surrendering to events out of your control in a way that no matter what happens you are accepting & joyous for life. Even if it could be perceived as “bad” it is part of your story, your fate. Remember, you can always connect the dots backwards.
3. Fuck Yes or No
Decisions are either a fuck yes or it’s a no. If you like this concept read @sivers
4. Beginners Mind
In the beginners mind there are endless possibilities, in the experts mind there are few. Practice having a beginners mind. Make it a habit to Question your assumptions. Anything is possible.
5. Happiness is a Choice
Happiness is an intentional act and in your control. The key to being happy is practicing being grateful. Set up pings to yourself to stop and smell the 🌹
6. Meditate
The quality of your mind determines the quality of your life. Treat it as such. Your mind is like a muscle. It’s malleable. Take advantage of neuroplasticity. Learn to observe your thoughts not be them.
~End Thread~
It’s been almost a year since this post. A lot of things are better, some are the same, and some are worse. In terms of the worse, I’m observing that I’m in a time where I’ll need to connect the dots backwards in the future.
Why do some things happen to us?
It’s often impossible to make sense of some things in the moment.
In time we can look back and it will all makes sense - you can connect the dots backwards. If the aftermath of all of the change in the last 2 years is wearing on you I hope you find gratefulness in simply being alive. Seriously, try it. Think about how amazing it is that we are even here in the first place. Nothing is owed to us. Even in tough times we have the choice to remind ourselves of that, keep working, and be happy.
If you have anything to add to the list I’d love to hear it.
Cheers - Jim
