Remember the good old days when we would proudly state how old we were? “I’m Sweet 16!” or “I’m finally going to be 21!!” Now, we may share our birth month and day, but rarely the year—unless prodded to do so. I, for one, was not excited to be creeping up on 30 and still not be married or have children. As an only child, my parents sure weren’t pleased either… But then, an idea hit me one day: When I dwell on the future and what I don’t have now (yet want so badly), am I not pressuring myself to age faster? Why am I not enjoying the things I have in this moment of time, like a great career and a new home, instead of always keeping my focus on the next thing I want to achieve? If I hold on to this mindset, then I will eventually find myself married with children and then not enjoying those experiences because I’ll be looking forward to retirement and my kids going off to college! That would not be a life of happiness; that would be a life of impatience.
This profound realization, to live in the moment so I can enjoy my current age, came as a result of reading a famous quote from Abraham Lincoln that I found randomly on the Internet: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” After reading this aphorism several times and letting it resonate, I thought back about each year of my life and noticed that age 28 (my current age) has been the best year ever because I have been living my life to the absolute fullest.Specifically, I started going to social gatherings whenever invited, I more aggressively worked toward meeting my personal and professional goals, and I am doing the things I have always wanted to do but never made time for, such as going to all the restaurants on my “Must-Eat-There” list. These fun, light activities brought me back to life, made the year memorable, and showed me that I can be happy at any age, but only if I make the things I enjoy happen! Happiness doesn’t just fall in one’s lap; happiness comes as a result of actively pursuing whatever makes you content. When you do this, you are not only more pleased on the inside, but also you exude joy on the outside, which makes you appear more youthful
This profound realization, to live in the moment so I can enjoy my current age, came as a result of reading a famous quote from Abraham Lincoln that I found randomly on the Internet: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” After reading this aphorism several times and letting it resonate, I thought back about each year of my life and noticed that age 28 (my current age) has been the best year ever because I have been living my life to the absolute fullest.Specifically, I started going to social gatherings whenever invited, I more aggressively worked toward meeting my personal and professional goals, and I am doing the things I have always wanted to do but never made time for, such as going to all the restaurants on my “Must-Eat-There” list. These fun, light activities brought me back to life, made the year memorable, and showed me that I can be happy at any age, but only if I make the things I enjoy happen! Happiness doesn’t just fall in one’s lap; happiness comes as a result of actively pursuing whatever makes you content. When you do this, you are not only more pleased on the inside, but also you exude joy on the outside, which makes you appear more youthful
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