There’s nothing quite like the intermittent realization of “you’ve only got one life”.
Not for YOLO reasons, but the legit kind: In an instant, considering what the point is of all the work you’re doing. How it all stacks up in the end, what progress is really being made, and what kind of impact on the world you’re really having. The optimist in me goes more granular as a response—maybe the impact doesn’t actually happen from the cumulation, but more singularly in the lives of every person you touch. Every product, piece of art, improvement, conversation, moment… it all has intrinsic value apart from the more grandiose goal.
That sounds lovely and nice, and sort of helpless.
I accept the looming randomness that exists around every corner, waiting to make life more complicated in ways I cannot predict. It’s just part of being alive! But what about the things that I perceive to be in my control—how do the daily decisions affect my chances at creating a more intentional life? One might say that the first step to this kind of success is to plan it out and get a grasp on what you really want out of this one life. At least, that’s what the Twitter productivity bros seem to think.
But I have a different perspective that—while it feels like maybe an excuse to dismiss myself from that judgmental reality—just might be a healthier way for people like me to see their “one life”. Instead of trying to bring about the lofty life-goal by means outside of your control… what if you just focused on right now, and that’s it? Identify things that make life feel meaningful, and do more of those things, without the baggage of trying to see everything as a stepping stone onto the next.
We do indeed only have one lifetime, so perhaps we should spend it with joy and revelation—not pondering the results of hypothetical actions that might happen and might result in something grand.