The Meaning of Life

I'm no genius. In fact the older I get the more I realize how much I don't know. But I do think that life isn't supposed to be so hard. It's not supposed to be stressful. It's supposed to be filled with love and with people we care about.

Instead, in this day and age, we fill our lives with work. We try so hard to make things happen. It makes me wonder what would happen if we just sat back and let it unfold. Maybe that's the secret to happiness. I know I'd like to see what happens if I take that approach -- even just for a while.

When it comes to my work I usually am pretty confident and I'm dedicated and I work hard. I know how to get things done and how everything seems to fit together. In my personal life it isn't quite that easy. People we are supposed to care about are the ones that hurt us the most. People we're supposed to care about are the ones we're mean to. People we care about the most are the ones who disappoint us. I just don't get it.

So today I've decided to try something new. I am lowering my expectations for everything. I am going to be fine with working eight hours a day and stopping. If I don't get my work done, too bad. I'm going to be fine with not having my house as clean as I'd like and not having the laundry up to date. I'm going to be fine with having little to nothing in the pantry. I'm going to be fine with towels on the floor and dishes and soda cans scattered in the bedrooms. I'm going to be fine with kids who don't do their homework or who choose to wear shirts that look like they slept in them.

I have a theory on this. I think that what I will find is that letting these things go won't screw up my life. What it just might do is make it easier to get up in the morning and face the day. I think it will ease the pressure. I'm going to open up my mind to new possibilities and forget for a while about what society says I'm supposed to do.

I'm doing this because I want to find the meaning of life. So far, in my 40 plus years on this earth I haven't found the happiness that I think we're supposed to have. I haven't found that thing that makes me hang on to life and appreciate it and realize how precious it is. Maybe by cutting out all the pressure and the expectations, I can find that.

Because one thing I know is that life is short and for the last many years, despite the successes I've had with my business and my acquisition of material things, and the good work I've done for my clients, I haven't had much fun. I can no longer truly say that I am really happy or that I am having a great time. Maybe by relaxing a little and opening my mind to new possibilities I will.

I'm on a quest for the meaning of life. I'll let you know if I find it.