The Not-So-Obvious Reason You’re Not Enjoying Your Life
Are you creating your dreams, or consuming someone else’s?
You are my Friday morning journal today — here’s an insight into my brain.
I want you to be able to read these ideas from my perspective, and walk away a changed person — for the better.
The idea that a couple of words on a page can actually shift the direction of your life is real magic. We overlook its value.
To share what has helped me, to help you — that’s the only goal. We both walk away closer to a peaceful mind (a peaceful mind = a happy mind).
Which brings me to the topic for today.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how busy our minds are.
From one thing to the next, filling empty space with information — videos, podcasts, music, books.
Lack of space to think is directly responsible to the pandemic of wide-spread lack of purpose.
People feel less valuable than ever because we don’t do anything valuable - we just watch someone else.
Worthless Wealth
Deep in your soul, you know there’s more to you — you can lie to your conscious but you can’t lie to your subconscious.
Even if you’ve got the shiny things — a good job, nice car, the wonderful partner, healthy family — you still won’t feel satisfied with life.
Forget the shiny things. Even if you’re got lovely friends, a nice home that you rent and people you love — it still won’t be enough.
It’s frustrating because you might’ve ticked all the theoretical boxes — I’ve been there myself.
If you don’t take action, it’ll only get worse. You’ll spend years trying to attain things to make you feel better, searching for the missing piece from somewhere else.
This path is well travelled, and it leads regret.
Material Lies
We are kept from our goal, not by obstacles, but by a clear path to a lesser goal.
Robert Brault
We’ve been fed this idea of what we want. A white picket fence, leather seats, nice income, 2 weeks holidays…
Modern marketing boosts this false desire to deceive us into trading our time (working) to ‘become happy’ — and sadly, the trap works well.
Everyone feels their problems could be solved if only they could get x.
“If only I had more money, I could relax more”
The problem for the consumer is that it’s never enough. You can’t reach the goal because it’s constantly moving. The more money you rent your time for, the more luxurious items you can afford — like chasing a carrot dangling in front of you.
It’s not your dream, it’s somebody else’s.
Creation vs Consumption
The ratio of creation to consumption is what’s driving you in a downward spiral.
In our day and age — the average is probably 20:80, creation to consumption. It’s an age, especially for the younger children, where we’re consuming too much information.
What do you think a child would rather do?
Make a sandcastle
Watch another person make a sandcastle (or even worse - watching a reaction of someone making a sandcastle…)
The problem is, watching it is entertaining in the short term, and it’s accessible. We don’t require the making of things for entertainment anymore — entertainment is at our fingertips.
This seems great, but consuming media is not fulfilling at the core. The short-term relief is purchasing us a one-way ticket to depression, because we’re not doing anything we can be proud of.
How do you feel after you’ve created something, or done something, as opposed to after you’ve consumed? Really think about that. A day of watching TV shows, compared to a day of painting, building, creating and even playing sports.
It’s night and day.
We think we want to sit and watch television all day. We yearn for this mystical ‘free time’ that will grant us rest and time to consume. What we really want is to expend effort and creative energy to birth something new into the world.
My old housemate Kirsty once told me:
Art is when you bring something into the world that wasn’t there before.
20:80 is the most unnoticed epidemic of modern times — our creation-to-consumption ratio should be more like 80:20.
Creation is Purpose
We want PURPOSE.
We want our lives to be impactful. We want to bring something to our family, our local community, and even the world. It’s only those who have no effect on the world, who are truly sad.
The emotion you feel when you’ve made something that is well received isn’t even comparable to how you feel when viewing someone else’s thing.
Someone who’s gone through a tragedy can help others get through the same by creating some piece of art — whether it be expression through painting or writing a book on dealing with grief.
They person can find fulfillment, even when the chips were against them, by creating and outputting something into the world.
We are creatures that have been created by something. So, we’re a product of creation — it’s within our bones.
Consuming media is no more than a tool to switch off from time to time. Watch a nice movie, or a comedy show, to give you ideas even — but true learning comes from doing, from creating.
Apply the ideas you get when you consume media to create something meaningful for the world. The more you create, the more you will put your soul into things and build something that matters.
Are you going to look back at your life and be glad that you watched others be great — or do you want to look back at the empire of good that you built for your family, their families, and humanity as a whole?
To my friends who are creating, remember the difficult days are a prerequisite to fulfilment:
Nadeem, I know it must be emotional when you see the fruits of your creative labour (in all facets you do) contribute to community and bring people together
Hollee and Dara — I bet standing in the bar you made, witnessing birthdays there and people enjoying themselves is a lot more rewarding than going to someone else’s spot
Casey, your own Engineering firm? I’m sure that feels a little different than putting on your little work outfit to work for the man.
George, you’ve taken over the late, great, John Kyriakidis’ accounting business and are constantly creating and improving something special
Max, Zach, Iti, Milton, Carlos — creating music that brings people joy and release from their stressful lives
Edward capturing the sorrow and hope through photography
and many more…
To anyone not creating, feel inspired, not repressed by this — everyone has the potential to create, you’re built for it.
It doesn’t have to be a painting, it can be your unique way of improving the world.
Sincerely,
Eren ‘Create’ Elsewhere
I’m Eren, an online writer sharing the lessons I’ve learned on my way from self-conscious to self-confident.
I put my soul into these articles, if they make a difference to you, please consider sharing so we can touch more people together.
The concept of satisfaction has been in my sphere this week, and here you are talking about it! You’re right, I have never been more satisfied than right now. Deeply mind and body satisfied - and it’s definitely because of the creation vs consumption ratio. We are in creation overload mode at the bar. But there is one more point to the equation that amplifies it for me - the response. Creation for the sake of creation for me has its expiry date - but pouring love and time and energy into a bar/company that other people enjoy makes the act of creation all the more sweeter. As humans, we are wired for empathy and connection - and if your creative outpouring can be visible enough to hit the heart of someone else’s, I reckon the chances of continuing the efforts will sky rocket… like this weekly email 😊