Why so many people go through life without really living?

Here’s my hypothesis: there are people, like me, who always daydream about their perfect life, career and relationships. We wait for the perfect opportunity as if life is supposed to magically unfold in a logical way. You grow up, you go to school, maybe fall in love, go to university, find a good stable job, get married, have a family, get retired, the end. We assume it is the right way for everyone and that it will eventually happen to us too. So we wait. And we procrastinate on our dreams. Nothing happens and you are still where you are from the beginning or you end up stuck in a life other people expected for you.

One day, you’re fed up, you want to change. But, how? It might not be the right time now. Too many responsibilities, not enough time. And did you think about your family, your friends, and every possible consequences? It seems like a vicious cycle.

Credits to Biswaranjan Rout

The only way to break it is to take risks. Terence McKenna couldn’t have said it better: “Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.”

We need to run away as far as possible from our comfort zone. Can you imagine all the things you would dare to do if you were comfortable being uncomfortable? You are the only person who knows what is best for you. You can feel it in your body. When it is the right thing, you feel peace, harmony, joy and bliss. It is like a compass showing you the right way for you. It might not be the right way for other people, and it’s okay, because we are all different. We can’t all live the same life, right?

Don’t be afraid, dare to dream big and go for it. The conditions will never be perfect. Even the outcome will not always meet your expectations. But, trust me, it will exceed them, lead you to places you never thought you would end up and, surely, you will learn valuable lessons through both failures and successes. We all know that life is too short to live meaninglessly, but only a few of us truly understand it. You need to break away from other people’s expectations. You can not let them define you. Please do not waste your life away, it would be a real shame considering it is a miracle that we exist and have the chance to experience so much in this world.