1 Thing Life Failed To Teach You
I love these self help articles that have become such a craze. Twenty ways to spice up your sex life, 10 things you wish you knew yesterday, 15 things not to say to your girlfriend and so on. In fact they are such a hit, that you can’t have a successful blog without at least one blog post in list fashion.
I found this little gem of an article, titled “20 Things I’m Glad Life Taught Me“. It might look inspiring but its 99% fiber with little flavor or substance. Because you see giving generic advice is easy. Anybody can say “grab life by the horns” or “live everyday like its your last”. The reality is, that those are idealistic phrases which have no regard for your everyday problems. That advice is meant to apply to everybody and yet solve nobody’s problems. At the end you’re still where you were before reading it. You can’t really expect words to induce in you the same emotion the writer was using to write the article. But fear not, there are not lists in this post.
I too have these moments all the time, when I’ve discovered something or have come to some sort of revelation. In the past I often have tried to write them down. However I have always failed to capture that wave of emotion on which the idea surfed its way into my head. Somehow words can only express so much. In a very geeky way its like converting and saving vinyl tunes into mp3s. The audio range is limited, compressed and much of the original quality is lost. Same with transferring thoughts to paper.
So it is no surprise that advice on the internet is a cheap commodity. Everybody has an opinion and everybody is more than willing to share it. Advice is easy to conjure up and easy to dispense. “Seek and you shall find”. See I can give advice too. Of course what everybody fails to mention and what is far more important than general template advice is how to actually start something and keep it going. I’m sure many of us can relate. Be it because you feel like you haven’t succeeded with your relationships as much as you want, or because you don’t like your job and you feel like life is passing you by. We all know what we need to do, but how do we do it? The answer is that there is no answer to suit everybody so stop looking for the quick fix.
The major problem with lists that tell you how to improve something, is that they provide too many tips and too little substance. After all they are in list form for a reason, and that is to get to the point. A list of 20 things to keep in mind on a daily basis to improve your life is not only overwhelming but pointless. Nobody should have to walk around thinking “I must create and look for opportunities”. If you’re already not as well off as you aspire, this will not only distract you from your tasks at hand, but it will put unnecessary pressure on you. Things have to be natural, things have to flow.
Seek whatever it is that you’re seeking. Seek it the way you know best. And rest assured that IT will find YOU.
Filed under: Life | 1 Comment
I do agree with your opinion however I find those top 10 lists give me an incentive to try something new. I think they are very motivating & inspiring on a personal level.
Just wish there was a “top 10 ways to wank.” I’d be golden then