Why are you reading this blog article? Did you perhaps click on it by chance? Did you receive the newsletter? Did a friend tell you about it? Let me rephrase the question: What would you "actually" rather be doing right now? Lying on the beach? Climbing Mount Everest? Strolling through London? Choose whatever you would rather be doing.
The good news is: you can do just that right now!
"That's not true!" may have been your first thought. "That's impossible!" "I have to work!" "I can't just leave everything here!" "I don't have the money for that right now!" and a hundred other reasons, all of which are serious and important.
But... it wouldn't be impossible!
You could raid your bank account, tell a tall tale at the office, persuade your girlfriend or boyfriend to go on a binge, and so on... But apparently, whatever the price is, it's too high.
Prices and consequences
When we do something or decide not to do something, we compare prices. We don't always do this consciously, but if you decided to open a surf school in Hawaii, for example, what would be the consequences? On the one hand, materially—for example, having to give up your current standard of living; on the other hand, ideologically—for example, feeling guilty about abandoning your own company. Whatever the case may be for you, the result of this price comparison is concrete action. This is a very responsible and, above all, active role. We shape our entire lives with it.
Unfortunately, many people see themselves as victims of circumstance. They become whiny or dissatisfied. Others always seem to have it better and lead more exciting lives. How about you? Do you also know the feeling of treading water? Are you dissatisfied? Do you feel that others determine what happens in your life? The bank, for example? Or "those at the top"? Whatever it is, the "seriousness of life"often prevents people from realizing their dream of a better life.
However, if we are truly honest with ourselves, we must acknowledge one thing: we chose this ourselves. Every person has chosen the situation they currently find themselves in, both privately and professionally, over others.
Under the cold shower of life
Some people will now say: "But what about the terrible accidents that happen?" "What am I supposed to do if the train is delayed? I can't drive the train myself!" Of course,there are external influences. And a decision can only be made within the framework of the laws of nature. We cannot override the law of gravity.
Certain things are beyond our control. And then we struggle with the consequences of our decisions. They are not always predictable and, above all, not always pleasant.
"I didn't choose that!" is often the protest."How could I have known that..."Maybe. But in a broader sense, we also chose these unpredictable consequences. Almost everything we do is life-threatening. Take a traffic accident as an example. As sad as it is, if someone is hit by a car at the next street corner, they basically chose to take that risk when they decided to participate in road traffic.
Do you find these thoughts strange or absurd? I would argue that by acknowledging these thoughts, you determine the freedom of your own life. Some might even call it their own happiness.
The beauty of it, however, is the conclusion: just as you chose your current situation, you can also choose to change it. At any time! For many people, this thought alone can be an enormous relief . The emphasis here is on "can." The decision is yours.
The moral stick
One thing is exciting here: it's not about right or wrong. What you ultimately decide is entirely up to you. No one can tell you better than yourself which decisions fit your values! It's also not about thinking more positively, learning to adapt better, or reacting more flexibly. These things can certainly make certain life situations easier and blur problems to ease the pain. But ultimately, I consider such an approach to be too reactive and weak.
Here is a quote from Reinhard Sprenger:
““Happiness is not a matter of luck. Happiness—whatever you may understand by that term—is not something that happens to you, but the result of self-directed, decisive action.”
We would like to invite you to live your life consciously. With clarity, consistency, and above all, the feeling of being where you want to be. Take the helm of your life. Where you belong. We are happy to help you with this in our executive training courses.
