|
Fill your life up with interesting stuff
Friday, 17 August 2007
We all feel a bit down sometimes. "To be or not to be, that is the question;" Shakespeare's Hamlet famously said. "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer, The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them."
Yes, Prince Hamlet, we all sometimes wonder if it's worthwhile going on. But there's an excellent remedy to this existential angst. And it's to simply fill your life up with interesting stuff. Distract yourself from it all by occupying your mind and body.
Children understand this concept immediately. You seldom catch them in a state of depression. They understand that life is for running around and playing with the wind in your hair. Sure, they get frustrated like the rest of us, but they also are often too busy just living to worry much.
In fact, it's a good aim to cram so much interesting stuff into your life that you don't have time to do it all. And things that get you out of the house are the types you should aim for.
This year, for example, I've been on a beach holiday in the Philippines, visited friends in London, spent a couple of months hanging out in New York, and been skiing in the Australian Snowy Mountains. Nobody could accuse me of wasting my life in front of the television.
This week, which is typical, I've had friends from Canberra staying at my house for a couple of days. We ate out, went to a concert, did a pub crawl and played tennis. I've been to the gym twice, played squash against a guy at work, had lunch out, and been out for dinner with other friends twice as well. And it's only Thursday.
With this much going on in my life, it's almost impossible to get depressed. It's when the day is empty that thoughts of depression creep in. I'll wager it's the same for you.
Not that you have to follow my example exactly. The types of things I like may bore you. You have to find your own interests. But generally, I think activities outside the home that involve socialising are best.
Of course, you can't go from an empty life to a full one in only one week. It takes time and effort to build up your social group and discover activities you enjoy. But try out lots of different things, and you'll soon find some that click.
Make a real effort to fill your life with interesting stuff. Be determined to look back and be amazed at how many happy and exciting memories you own.
 | How to find yourself | | Along with the problem of trying to figure out how the world works, we also all have a similar problem of discovering exactly who it is we are. People are always surprising themselves with behavior they didn’t expect and thoughts they feel aren’t entirely in their control. |  | Generally, it's best just to tell people what they want to hear | | Some people live to tell others what they're doing wrong. They see themselves as some sort of ivory-tower dwelling soul, gazing mercifully down on the rest of us and having the generosity to point out our faults when they see it as necessary. I'm sure you meet such people all the time. |  | How to get a job paying more than $100,000 a year | | How do people get themselves into a position of earning good incomes at young ages? Why do some people work hard for minimum wage while others have cushy jobs that are well-paid? Most importantly, how can you become one of the latter? | | Becoming more self-absorbed probably isn't going to solve your problems | | There are many books and articles written about how to improve your life. Many focus on changing what's going on inside your head. They want you to think more positively, change your inner conversation, and carefully examine your past. In general, they have one thing in common, they want you to become more self-absorbed. |  | The easiest way to fool smart people | | There’s a saying among con-men that smart people are easier targets, because they don’t think they can be conned. I’m not sure if that’s true, but there’s one scam that’s almost guaranteed to make smart people switch off their brains and reach for their wallets. | | You can't trust people with money | | What is it with money that makes otherwise good people lose all moral perspective? The dubious real-estate agent may well be a good and trustworthy friend away from the office, but he'll tell his clients anything to get a few extra dollars out of them. |  | Evidence that success comes from self-discipline | | An interesting experiment on the nature of success was started by psychologist Walter Mischel at Stanford University in the 1960s. He decided to test the self-discipline of children at an early age, then trace their relative success as their lives went on. |  | If you have a problem, look in the mirror first for its source | | Consider the following scenario. Mr Smith has been a dedicated employee at a big company for over fifteen years. He has a mortgage, two children at private school, and a nice car, all paid for with debt. | | Understanding the games people play | | A very interesting book, for anyone who's interested in the psychology of human relationships, is Games People Play by Eric Berne. Dr Berne is a psychiatrist who developed the theory of transactional analysis, which looks at the ways people interact with one another. Specifically, he's interested in the psychological games people play. | | Whatever you say or do in this world, someone will strongly disapprove | | Wouldn't it be great if everyone just loved us and thought everything we did and said was right? What an easy life that would be. Unfortunately, this isn't going to happen any time soon. Pretty much anything you do or say is going to make somebody angry, upset, or despairing of your intelligence and sanity. |
New articles are being added all the time, so make sure you bookmark Paul's Tips and come back.
|
|