As I move through life at times I ponder the different outcomes that were possible had circumstances been different or alternative decisions been made. How would life have looked had I not taken a particular job or had I not been at the right place at the right time when I met my wife. What if I hadn't mustered the courage to swagger so confidently over to her and hand her my number (I'm sure she recalls my first time asking her out in exactly the same way that I do). The truth is that all of the things in my life worked out the way they did because of decisions I made based off of previous experiences. I knew based off of previous romantic relationships that my soon to be wife was the one I wanted to be with. I knew based off of previous employment (in addition to world events at the time) that the job that I ended up getting with the US Government was the job that I wanted. I knew from interacting with my younger siblings growing up and with friends who had children that I wanted children at some point in my life.
How do these things I mention tie together? They are all decisions that were made based off of experience. Your previous experiences shape how you think and who you are as a person. Poor job experiences may sway you away from a particular industry or company. Bad romantic experiences can jade you against what could be your future spouse. Negative experiences with children could sway you from the great gift that is parenthood. These types of experiences, good or bad, are generally available in one form or another to most if not all of us. Some experiences are simply not as easy to come by. How many get to authentically experience the life of a secret agent? An international assassin? A top tier special operations soldier?
Many of us (myself included) oftentimes get wrapped up in the daily battle of life. Bills, car repairs, work deadlines, health problems, etc. We tend to get so wrapped up in the problems right in front of us that we don't take time to come up for air and get an appreciation for the bigger picture. Whether we always realize it or not, time is constantly moving and is one of the most precious commodities there is. Unfortunately many people talk themselves out of going after unique experiences and adventure because they feel as though they "don't have time" or "don't have the money" or simply "can't because they're not a risk taker" and so on and so forth. The world we live in wants people afraid of taking risks. It encourages us to focus on what's right in front of us. It tries to keep us overwhelmed with the day to day so that we can keep the global economic machine moving like good little sheep.
Are you ok with handing them the keys to your life experience? Are you ok with simply letting life "happen" all around you? No matter how rich or poor you are, your money and your material possessions can be taken away. Your freedom can be taken away. Your family can be taken away. The one thing they absolutely under no circumstances can't take away is your experiences. No matter what, your experiences remain with you for the rest of your days.
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