Things You Won’t Remember In About 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.
I know that two years back I was scared for the life ahead of me.
I always thought or may have assumed that I am the one who figured out what I want and need.
And I am exceptionally good at many things.
I am not where I meant to be or the people around my age usually are.
If I tell you the truth, I have had a vastly different approach towards life and in general than most people around me, especially among friends.
Where all of my friends were hooking up and getting married and going away to have kids, I was building my career, traveling the world solo, meeting new/interesting people, and spending time getting to know myself, who I am, and what makes me special.
Today, as I sit here on this very couch wondering how my life has turned out.
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.
Social media is filled with how good the story is, performances, and the characters.
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.
Whether you hit your yearly performance goals
I have been working in the corporate world for a decade.
I had a very clear vision and goal when I started my career.
I worked 18+ hours for years, exceeding my KPIs, and took on additional responsibilities.
For a long time, I felt like this is what it takes to be on top.
I sacrificed my health, skipped meals, and slept for 3 hours. The cycle continued until last year.
At the moment, surpassing your performance goals that you boss asked you to achieve feels like your whole world, like your entire existence depends on them.
I felt is like for years.
You do it all over again and again every year, in the hope that when you hit the age of 60, you will retire peacefully and sip margaritas in the Bahamas.
Now I am asking at what costs?
The truth is in the next 5 years you won’t even remember it and certainly the company or a boss you worked for.
What you will remember is:
how to treated your family
how is your health and mental well-being
how much time you spent with your family and children
So don’t trade your time for something that you won’t even enjoy in the next 5 years and doesn’t align with your long-term aspirations and goals.
This led me to let go of a dream I had for 10 years and to create a future NOW.
Because the future I was waiting for is already here and I am not gonna miss any other moment of it.
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 because someone had another priority to look after, and people requested my time to go over the proposal one more time.
The thing is 90% of the zooms are unnecessary, and hell most people usually don’t listen or passively do some other work or scrolling through social media.
This year, before you go to Zoom and schedule another meeting, please ask yourself:
is it really necessary?
or someone else can help here?
whether it could be done over a chat or an email?
Don’t be like a person who feels trapped in one meeting after another, barely getting anything done.
And starting the actual work only after 5.
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 articles that start with these headlines are so popular.
books to read in your 20s…
movies to watch before the turn 30, or 40..
get a decent job, get married, have kids before you turn 35… and so on…
You get the point.
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?
It’s easy to succumb to the idea that age matters, but it doesn’t.
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.
Stop saying “You are too old or too young” to think about things. Because it never is.
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?
Think about it.
Be Bold
Be Courageous
Be Your Best
What are the areas you want to spend time to create a loving life?
Share in the comments.
Love,
Ankita
