How do you want to spend your life?
Most of our days are composed of the same activities, we all need to eat and sleep and move and all these things that make us more similar than we are different. But in our quest to figure out what makes us unique, what special thing we can do that speaks to our spirit, we neglect to reflect on those activities which dominate our lives.
I’ve found it very enriching to think of my life like a game.
And no that doesn’t mean that I don’t take it seriously or that I’m ambivalent about how I approach it. It means that I employ some of the strategies used by game makers to build a fulfilling life I enjoy living. Game developers strive to create a satisfying and fulfilling gameplay loop. The notion is creating activities that are rewarding and satisfying for a player to repeat over and over.
Your life is inevitably composed of its own loop, of people and places, food and friends. Take some time to contemplate what you would enjoy doing, enjoy eating, and where you might enjoy existing. I acknowledge there are constraints, we are not imbued with infinite resources to choose whatever we want, and there are other considerations beyond enjoyment.
However, I’ve previously fallen into the trap of endlessly searching for novelty in my daily routine ultimately concluding it is futile. I’ll have to eat every day, and see people, and live somewhere, and do something for work, and on and on. So my alternative has been to borrow that notion of the satisfying loop. To cultivate my routine with activities, meals, and people that contribute to my spirit and my values. To find satisfaction in the routine that I will inevitably repeat.
And as the days seem to melt into the past ever quicker, I can look forward to the days ahead knowing I am not hostage to some fantasy adventure. I’ll take satisfaction from learning a new skill that furthers my self-sufficiency and my capacity to help others. I’ll keep finding time and energy to exercise so I can prove to myself what I am capable of. I’ll continue to take quiet comfort in some fruit and yogurt that nourishes the memory of my grandmother.
And yes, on occasion I’ll take time away from the routine to find some adventure which can provide perspective and novelty. But I won’t waste away my days resenting or trying to escape the loop that forms the foundation of my life. I hope this will drive you to consider honestly how you spend most of your time and consider how to enrich that loop with routine that serves you.
I recently remarked to a friend that while I take enjoyment from my car as a car enthusiast, I also take perhaps comparable pleasure from my favorite sandwich. If I can find happiness between two slices of bread, then I think I can find happiness in any moment regardless of my circumstances. Its a powerful notion that helped me realize the material comforts and ambitions may be worthwhile to pursue, but we should not make our emotional well being contingent on them.
