Things You Won’t Remember In 5 Years
Things You Won’t Remember In 5 Years
It’s time to stop doing them
It was only two years ago that I sat on the same couch with the very same laptop on my lap, playing more and less similar playlists and writing.
Since January has started I have been looking back a lot.
Doing introspect and looking through the things that stand out and how to prepare for the future.
Today, as I sit here on this very couch wondering how my life has turned out.
I was gullible and naive for a very long time and made lots of mistakes.
So while I sit here and ponder over my past and work towards a better future, I am asking a lot of questions.
One of the key questions is: “Will this matter in 5 years?”
You know, time is finite and I guess you don’t realize it until you get older.
Here are a few things you won’t give a damn or think about in 5 years.
Latest hyped and over-buzzed TV Shows and Movies:
In the last two years I observed (I couldn’t be wrong), all of a sudden some random shows and movies are getting lots of chatter, hyped online, and everyone seemed to talk about it.
The point is, there will always be something new, over hyped.
It’s up to you.
I am no longer interested in binge-watching and spending my precious hours away.
That led me to cancel my streaming subscriptions: Netflix, Hulu, and HBO, and I would do anything in my power to never go back.
So if you don’t have time to do things that you love or want to do, relook.
I never expected I’d get so much out of a “no”
Last year was full of Nos.
I admit, I didn’t get very far with it in the first half of the year.
It started with some Nos, mostly the kind that made it easy for me to avoid socializing or other things this anxious introvert doesn’t want to deal with.
I asked my boss if I could get sponsored to join a conference, No
Asked for a promotion because I felt ready, No
Sending an article to a popular publication I spent weeks writing, pouring my heart out, just to get a one-liner email “Regret to inform you…”
My point is that when everyone was saying No to me, I was all In, I was all out.
I was afraid of saying No. Everyone needed something from me.
So don’t wait up and be ready to hear Nos. Because NO is just the beginning of something amazing.
Another Zoom
For the last three months, I sat down and counted how many zooms I had in a day especially; the unplanned ones.
It turned out that I had to reschedule as much as Zoom(s) because someone had another priority to look after, and people requested my time to go over the proposal one more time.
This year, before you go to Zoom and schedule another meeting, please ask yourself:
is it really necessary?
whether it could be done over a chat or an email?
or someone else can help here?
Think again, get better in solving things via email, chats, so you can focus on the hard problems, get the actual work done.
When I turn 30, 40, 50…
The thing is if you like doing something, don’t wait up.
Just do it.
I spend years just thinking, I will do this when “that happens…”
None of us are getting any younger.
Every day, we’re slowly dying.
That’s the harshest truth of our lives.
So, what the hell are you waiting for?
All that matters is you start doing the things that matter to you now.
The future you wait for is already here, believe it or not.
So, What you should think about:
I can tell you, how I am working towards things that are going to matter to me in the next 5 years.
It all comes down to this:
taking care of my health and mental well-being
working not in the number of hours but in the outcome and results
cultivating a set of hobbies that truly bring joy and make my heart sing
nurturing a strong set of communities where people feel happier, healthier, and help other people reach their potential
doing something good for myself every single day instead of waiting for milestones.
Now the question is for you.
Where your energy and attention are going?
What are the areas you want to spend time to create a loving life?
Share in the comments.
Love,
Ankita
