39 ways to Live and not just Exist

[warrrreagl]

This is a nice long, fat list. I was taken by how many of the things on this list I already do, and really taken by how many of those things I owe to Grancey's dilligence. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be involved in much of anything. How do you compare?

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/06...ely-exist.html


1. Love. Perhaps the most important. Fall in love, if you aren't already. If you have, fall in love with your partner all over again. Abandon caution and let your heart be broken. Or love family members, friends, anyone -- it doesn't have to be romantic love. Love all of humanity, one person at a time.
2. Get outside. Don't let yourself be shut indoors. Go out when it's raining. Walk on the beach. Hike through the woods. Swim in a freezing lake. Bask in the sun. Play sports, or walk barefoot through grass. Pay close attention to nature.
3. Savor food. Don't just eat your food, but really enjoy it. Feel the texture, the bursts of flavors. Savor every bite. If you limit your intake of sweets, it will make the small treats you give yourself (berries or dark chocolate are my favorites) even more enjoyable. And when you do have them, really, really savor them. Slowly.
4. Create a morning ritual. Wake early and greet the day. Watch the sun rise. Out loud, tell yourself that you will not waste this day, which is a gift. You will be compassionate to your fellow human beings, and live every moment to its fullest. Stretch or meditate or exercise as part of your ritual. Enjoy some coffee.
5. Take chances. We often live our lives too cautiously, worried about what might go wrong. Be bold, risk it all. Quit your job and go to business for yourself (plan it out first!), or go up to that girl you've liked for a long time and ask her out. What do you have to lose?
6. Follow excitement. Try to find the things in life that excite you, and then go after them. Make life one exciting adventure after another (with perhaps some quiet times in between).
7. Find your passion. Similar to the above tip, this one asks you to find your calling. Make your living by doing the thing you love to do. First, think about what you really love to do. There may be many things. Find out how you can make a living doing it. It may be difficult, but you only live once.
8. Get out of your cubicle. Do you sit all day in front of computer, shuffling papers and taking phone calls and chatting on the Internet? Don't waste your days like this. Break free from the cubicle environment, and do your work on a laptop, in a coffee shop, or on a boat, or in a log cabin. This may require a change of jobs, or becoming a freelancer. It's worth it.
9. Turn off the TV. How many hours will we waste away in front of the boob tube? How many hours do we have to live? Do the math, then unplug the TV. Only plug it back in when you have a DVD of a movie you love. Otherwise, keep it off and find other stuff to do. Don't know what to do? Read further.
10. Pull away from Internet. You're reading something on the Internet right now. And, with the exception of this article, it is just more wasting away of your precious time. You cannot get these minutes back. Unplug the Internet, then get out of your office or house. Right now! And go and do something.
11. Travel. Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you're older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world. If need be, find a way to make a living by freelancing, then work while you travel. Only work an hour or two a day. Don't check email but once a week. Then use the rest of the time to see the world.
12. Rediscover what's important. Take an hour and make a list of everything that's important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.
13. Eliminate everything else. What's going on in your life that's not on that short list? All that stuff is wasting your time, pulling your attention from what's important. As much as possible, simplify your life by eliminating the stuff that's not on your short list, or minimizing it.
14. Exercise. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually try running. Or do some push ups and crunches. Or swim or bike or row. Or go for a hike. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it. And life will be more alive.
15. Be positive. Learn to recognize the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can't do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!
16. Open your heart. Is your heart a closed bundle of scar tissue? Learn to open it, have it ready to receive love, to give love unconditionally. If you have a problem with this, talk to someone about it. And practice makes perfect.
17. Kiss in the rain. Seize the moment and be romantic. Raining outside? Grab your lover and give her a passionate kiss. Driving home? Stop the car and pick some wildflowers. Send her a love note. Dress sexy for him.
18. Face your fears. What are you most afraid of? What is holding you back? Whatever it is, recognize it, and face it. Do what you are most afraid of. Afraid of heights? Go to the tallest building, and look down over the edge. Only by facing our fears can we be free of them.
19. When you suffer, suffer. Life isn't all about fun and games. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We lose our lovers. We lose our pets. We get physically injured or sick. A loved one becomes sick. A parent dies. Learn to feel the pain intensely, and really grieve. This is a part of life -- really feel the pain. And when you're done, move on, and find joy.
20. Slow down. Life moves along at such a rapid pace these days. It's not healthy, and it's not conducive to living. Practice doing everything slowly -- everything, from eating to walking to driving to working to reading. Enjoy what you do. Learn to move at a snail's pace.
21. Touch humanity. Get out of your house and manicured neighborhoods, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them, understand them. Live among them. Be one of them. Give up your materialistic lifestyle.
22. Volunteer. Help at homeless soup kitchens. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of others. Help the sick, those with disabilities, those who are dying.
23. Play with children. Children, more than anyone else, know how to live. They experience everything in the moment, fully. When they get hurt, they really cry. When they play, they really have fun. Learn from them, instead of thinking you know so much more than them. Play with them, and learn to be joyful like them.
24. Talk to old people. There is no one wiser, more experienced, more learned, than those who have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories. Give you advice on making a marriage last or staying out of debt. Tell you about their regrets, so you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They are the wisdom of our society -- take advantage of their existence while they're still around.
25. Learn new skills. Constantly improve yourself instead of standing still -- not because you're so imperfect now, but because it is gratifying and satisfying. You should accept yourself as you are, and learn to love who you are, but still try to improve -- if only because the process of improvement is life itself.
26. Find spirituality. For some, this means finding God or Jesus or Allah or Buddha. For others, this means becoming in tune with the spirits of our ancestors, or with nature. For still others, this just means an inner energy. Whatever spirituality means for you, rediscover it, and its power.
27. Take mini-retirements. Don't leave the joy of retirement until you are too old to enjoy it. Do it now, while you're young. It makes working that much more worth it. Find ways to take a year off every few years. Save up, sell your home, your possessions, and travel. Live simply, but live, without having to work. Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a couple of years.
28. Do nothing. Despite the tip above that we should find excitement, there is value in doing nothing as well. Not doing nothing as in reading, or taking a nap, or watching TV, or meditating. Doing nothing as in sitting there, doing nothing. Just learning to be still, in silence, to hear our inner voice, to be in tune with life. Do this daily if possible.
29. Stop playing video games. They might be fun, but they can take up way too much time. If you spend a lot of time playing online games, or computer solitaire, or Wii or Gameboy or whatever, consider going a week without it. Then find something else to do, outside.
30. Watch sunsets, daily. One of the most beautiful times of day. Make it a daily ritual to find a good spot to watch the sunset, perhaps having a light dinner while you do so.
31. Stop reading magazines. They're basically crap. And they waste your time and money. Cancel your subscriptions and walk past them at the news stands. If you have to read something, read a trashy novel or even better, read Dumb Little Man once a day and be done.
32. Break out from ruts. Do you do things the same way every day? Change it up. Try something new. Take a different route to work. Start your day out differently. Approach work from a new angle. Look at things from new perspectives.
33. Stop watching the news. It's depressing and useless. If you're a news junky, this may be difficult. I haven't watch TV news or read a newspaper regularly in about two years. It hasn't hurt me a bit. Anything important, my mom tells me about.
34. Laugh till you cry. Laughing is one of the best ways to live. Tell jokes and laugh your head off. Watch an awesome comedy. Learn to laugh at anything. Roll on the ground laughing. You'll love it.
35. Lose control. Not only control over yourself, but control over others. It's a bad habit to try to control others -- it will only lead to stress and unhappiness for yourself and those you try to control. Let others live, and live for yourself. And lose control of yourself now and then too.
36. Cry. Men, especially, tend to hold in our tears, but crying is an amazing release. Cry at sad movies. Cry at a funeral. Cry when you are hurt, or when somebody you love is hurt. It releases these emotions and allows us to cleanse ourselves.
37. Make an awesome dessert. I like to make warm, soft chocolate cake. But even berries dipped in chocolate, or crepes with ice cream and fruit, or fresh apple pie, or homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies, are great. This isn't an every day thing, but an occasional treat thing. But it's wonderful.
38. Try something new, every week. Ask yourself: "What new thing shall I try this week?" Then be sure to do it. You don't have to learn a new language in one week, but seek new experiences. Give it a try. You might decide you want to keep it in your life.
39. Be in the moment. Instead of thinking about things you need to do, or things that have happened to you, or worrying or planning or regretting, think about what you are doing, right now. What is around you? What smells and sounds and sights and feelings are you experiencing? Learn to do this as much as possible through meditation, but also through bringing your focus back to the present as much as you can in everything you do.

I admit this list makes some pointed assumptions about the socio-economic status of the reader, but it's still fun anyway.

[snowy]

I have an issue with the "don't read magazines" suggestion. I think there is a significant intellectual difference between In Touch or People and the New Yorker or the Economist. I'll keep reading magazines, thank you.

But I do agree with most of the rest of the list. They are good reminders about what is really valuable in life.

[MexicanOnABike]

4. Create a morning ritual. Wake early and greet the day. Watch the sun rise. Out loud, tell yourself that you will not waste this day, which is a gift. You will be compassionate to your fellow human beings, and live every moment to its fullest. Stretch or meditate or exercise as part of your ritual. Enjoy some coffee.

8. Get out of your cubicle. Do you sit all day in front of computer, shuffling papers and taking phone calls and chatting on the Internet? Don't waste your days like this. Break free from the cubicle environment, and do your work on a laptop, in a coffee shop, or on a boat, or in a log cabin. This may require a change of jobs, or becoming a freelancer. It's worth it.

14. Exercise. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Eventually try running. Or do some push ups and crunches. Or swim or bike or row. Or go for a hike. Whatever you do, get active, and you'll love it. And life will be more alive.

29. Stop playing video games. They might be fun, but they can take up way too much time. If you spend a lot of time playing online games, or computer solitaire, or Wii or Gameboy or whatever, consider going a week without it. Then find something else to do, outside.

30. Watch sunsets, daily. One of the most beautiful times of day. Make it a daily ritual to find a good spot to watch the sunset, perhaps having a light dinner while you do so.

with so much time outside, watching sunsets and sunrise, i'm sure these people will all be blind and have skin cancer.

40. don't forget to wear sunscreen!! and sunglasses!

[abaya]

Yes, yes, and yes!!! These ideals have always resonated for me (though I do have a weakness for magazines, and agree with Snowy). The biggies for me are getting outside more (yes, while wearing sunglasses) and traveling... but I pretty much agree with every single one of those recommendations.

The tough one for me isn't the TV or news, but the internet... which is why I feel so desperate to get outside sometimes. Whoever said, at the end of their life, "I wish I had spent more time bonding with my laptop and surfing the internet?"

[World's King]

All in all that boils down to one thing...



Be a hippie.

[Plan9]

(eats tofu, farms organic sugar beets, finds woman who cultivates armpit hair)

Check.

...

Things to Despise #471,372

UPPER MIDDLE CLASS AMERICAN ALTERNATE RELIGIOUS TYPES WHO DRIVE SUVs

...

This is all very nice and all, but some of us have to work for a living.

When they start passing out free college degrees to the legal residents of the united states who served in the military... maybe I'll be a hippie.

(I'm bitter, I'll admit)

Until then?

Get a haircut and get a real job.

[snowy]

Originally Posted by abaya

The tough one for me isn't the TV or news, but the internet... which is why I feel so desperate to get outside sometimes. Whoever said, at the end of their life, "I wish I had spent more time bonding with my laptop and surfing the internet?"

This is why I frequently take my laptop outside with me. I take it to the coffeeshop around the corner, usually, where they have a nice patio that is shady enough to keep the glare off my screen. So I get to use my computer but in a much more pleasant setting. I also like to take it to the university library, because there are some places there that are just cool to be at (like Special Collections or the rotunda) and are as good as being outside with the ginormous plate glass windows. I bought a nice backpack with a sleeve for my laptop expressly for the purpose of taking my laptop when I go places.

[Sweetpea]

Create a morning ritual.

I totally need to do that... it's the one thing I'm always putting off for sleep and then the mad rush to get to work.

Thanks for posting this.

And WK--- hippies are awesome...

sweetpea

[match000]

"Stop watching the news"

I disagree on that one, for obvious reasons. LOL

And I also disagree on the magazine one.. in fact reading magazines (in moderation) is a good way to keep in touch with your (multitude) of interests, as well as news.


The rest are good.

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by match000

"Stop watching the news"

I disagree on that one, for obvious reasons. LOL

And I also disagree on the magazine one.. in fact reading magazines (in moderation) is a good way to keep in touch with your (multitude) of interests, as well as news.


The rest are good.

And I say that your obvious reasons are nowhere to be found.

This mass media coverage is unecessary. I personally believe this is one of the best things I have ever done. I don't need to get bogged down by the media and their tactics to obtain ratings in the efforts of "informing the commonwealth". Not everything that is reported on the news has a direct correlation and impact on you(I'd venture almost none of it does, and that is in the scope that there is so much news and coverage out there that it wouldn't be surprising if there was a microphone in your Lucky Charms ).

You can obtain the local and global happenings in the world as it has been available throughout the ages.

Use "the grapevine".

[abaya]

Jetstream, not all magazines are "mass media." I haven't watched TV in 10+ years, I certainly don't watch the news, and I rarely read beyond the front page of a newspaper. However, I do enjoy a little magazine called Ode, which has a pretty low circulation and is published from the Netherlands. I wouldn't call that Clear Channel. It's a magazine catering to a particular sub-culture. That is all.

[Kpax]

"...live and not just exist." The list should have more things that a person can do on their own, without the approval or aid of a second party (friend, relative, acquaintance). That can't be bought or obtained at will. You have to wait for Karma to give it to you, and in the absence of it, there is no fulfilling that list.

I think that a person's TV hours are fine as long as they have the option to do something else.

Anyway existing is exactly what I'm restricted to at the moment, and human beings are delicate creatures that move in flocks. It's called democracy.

Oh BTW, careful with #5. The wrong result of it can hinder trying to accomplish every other number on there...

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by abaya

Jetstream, not all magazines are "mass media." I haven't watched TV in 10+ years, I certainly don't watch the news, and I rarely read beyond the front page of a newspaper. However, I do enjoy a little magazine called Ode, which has a pretty low circulation and is published from the Netherlands. I wouldn't call that Clear Channel. It's a magazine catering to a particular sub-culture. That is all.

Funny...

I never mentioned magazines, since they cater to individual tastes and market it as such to their audiences...

maybe you read too much into the quote that I was refering to, and didn't truly understand the context I put it in...


haha ... I made a pun "read"

[Crack]

33. Stop watching the news. It's depressing and useless. If you're a news junky, this may be difficult. I haven't watch TV news or read a newspaper regularly in about two years. It hasn't hurt me a bit. Anything important, my mom tells me about.

this is because you are living in her basement after quitting your job for the 10th time to travel, or the 3rd "mini-retirement" you are on because you wanted to see more rainbows and feel more grass...

Hell, i'm all for seeing and feeling some shit, but damn, I like to have money to eat and sleep somewhere other than a park bench.

damn hippies

[McFrosticles]

Stop Playing Video Games?



Sorry, but I believe if you enjoy something and it is not harmful, keep doing it.

[Logarithm]

27. Take mini-retirements. Don't leave the joy of retirement until you are too old to enjoy it. Do it now, while you're young. It makes working that much more worth it. Find ways to take a year off every few years. Save up, sell your home, your possessions, and travel. Live simply, but live, without having to work. Enjoy life, then go back to work and save up enough money to do it again in a couple of years.

Something tells me this might not be such a good idea for most people..

[xepherys]

One helluva list... good stuff!

[Charlatan]

this list is right out of most management how-to book. It really isn't about being a hippie. It's about destressing.

I agree that the complete cessation of magazines, video games and news is a mistake. Like all things there is nothing inherently wrong with these things. All things in moderation.

The key is a balance between work life and everything else. Many adults spend too much focused on work and forget to actually live.

[thingstodo]

I love it!! I'm taking a copy to work and posting it in the lunch room!!!!

[World's King]

Wanna hear something funny... I sent this to my mother when this was first posted.

It's been sent to me about 12 times from other family members saying that I need read it and take it to heart...


I'm kind of confused as to how my family sees me.

[ItWasMe]

World King: That's funny.

My morning ritual is getting kids off to school and doing morning chores before I head to work. If I got up any earlier to 'watch the sunrise' I would be getting even less sleep than I get now. I do get outside to do chores. I have enough to do working, paying bills, doing house chores, raising kids....without trying to catch a sunset or make a dessert. I don't like #19, and I'm not giving up my occasional video game or my pc. eh.

[Nisses]

Is it strange to completely disagree with 1 out of every 4 points in that list? :S

[merlin]

It strikes me as a bit idealistic...sell you house and travel every few years? I'm not sure many of us can do it on a whim like that. It's certainly something to strive for, I suppose, but I'll definitely take a few of those points to heart.