If you don’t like hanging out with yourself…
How do you expect other people to like hanging out with you?
Boredom
I really don’t like when people complain about being bored. There’s almost literally an infinite number of things that can occupy a person’s time. Maybe try reading, writing, singing, dancing, running, dribbling a ball, watching TV, drawing, cleaning, building something, organizing your things, calling someone and talking to them (or going and visiting them), etc. If you’re bored, it’s probably your own fault, so stop complaining and fix it.
Seriously. Boredom is a plague of the soul, and you should rid yourself of it.
(Source: getfuckinfit, via threefortyeight)
The Most Important Relationship
More so than any other relationship you’ll ever have, the relationship you have with yourself will have a profound effect on your life and most everything around you. Most people will tell you to just learn to love yourself as you are, and in my estimation, that’s not really the best advice. The easiest advice, sure, but not the most satisfying. If you don’t love who you are at this very moment of life, you should be actively trying to become someone you can love at every possible moment. Me, I’m pretty happy with who I am as a person (this is not to say I think I’m perfect or completely satisfied just yet). In the somewhat short life I’ve lived, I’ve struggled mightily with my own identity and just how content with it I was. After much deliberation and trials through fire I think I’ve mostly nailed down who I want to be, and I’m inching closer every day.
At this point I feel like I should describe my views on “Who I am” or what makes up a person’s identity so this advice might make a bit more sense. I do not factor in life goals like “Be rich” or “get married” for this advice–these are not character traits, but goals (as I previously mentioned). What I’m referring to here are the things that make up your personality. Are you a kind individual? Do you work hard? Are you a patient person? Do you ever act irrationally when things are going your way? These are the sorts of questions that can help you figure out if you like who you are and what you’re doing in life. I’m a pretty kind, respectful, cheerful, logical, and indecisive guy. I’m pretty alright with those being the five best descriptors of me (though, as I mentioned before, I’ve still got some work to do).
As far as I can tell, there aren’t really any legitimate excuses to not be working towards being your ideal version of yourself. If you want to be more kind-hearted, start making an effort to do so. Obviously, this is all easier said than done, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t be trying.
Why is this all so important, though? While the answer to this is pretty simple, the explanation of this answer is rather long-winded. The simple answer is that the first step of everything that will happen to you in your life and how you deal with it starts with you. If you love who you are as a human being, making decisions and dealing with all of the things happening in your life will become easier. If you’re sure of who you are and what you believe in, you won’t have to second guess yourself when faced with adversity. I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the point.
Are you on the path to being someone you love?
Childlike curiosity
Children embody some qualities that people should never abandon, even after adulthood, and one of those qualities is their unabashed curiosity about the world around them. As we grow older, our sense of wonder wanes as we learn that magic isn’t actually magic and that most things that seemed bigger than anything else we could have ever imagined really aren’t that big at all (thanks, Carl Sagan). Whatever the reason, it’s very sad that more often than not our childlike curiosity and wonder are stifled at a pretty young age, and it seems to be getting younger as kids are becoming jaded as quickly as ever before.
Here’s an example: When a child sees someone in a wheelchair, they want to know why. They don’t understand the reason, nor do they understand that “It’s not nice to stare.” I’ve actually read many first-hand testimonials regarding this type of case, and most of these say that the person with the handicap (apologies if anyone is offended by this reference) is happy to answer questions regarding their condition and/or situation. Where’s the harm in teaching a child about something so innocent? It’s quite counter intuitive to dissuade your child from learning more about things like this–don’t you think the person your child is asking about might feel like an outcast or shunned if you try to shy your child away?
Just a thought. Perhaps being curious isn’t such a bad thing after all.
