What is important in life?
Every so often, things happen that make you stand back and reassess what is really important in your life. In normal circumstances, most people spend the majority of their life busy – working, looking after their children, going out and spending their free time in restaurants, cinemas, and shops, worrying about money etc. etc. But when it comes down to it, what is actually important in their life?
In the last couple of months, our world has changed dramatically, and this question is something I have heard being spoken about a lot. Most people are now spending a lot more (or all) of their time with their loved ones, and may be finding out that this is what life is actually all about. Parents may be spending more time with their children, for which both sides are grateful for, and families in general may be talking and connecting more than ever before. When something is taken away, this is when we realise how much we miss it and how much it is actually worth to us.
Unfortunately not everyone can, or will, be taking advantage of some of the positives that have come from staying at home more. Some people may not live with their family, or even have one, but that doesn’t mean that these times can’t produce an answer to such a question either.
Such times may also allow for the mind to focus on what you really want out of life. Staying home in your current living situation may have made you realise how much you want to change where you live. Perhaps a long-time renter has realised how much they now want to own their own home. Working from home or other work-related situations may have made you realise that you want to change your job. In times of adversity, the mind can start to focus on what really matters to you, and in time, plans can be made to put this new found focus into action.
We are now lucky to live in a world where there are endless opportunities to undertake new challenges and learn new things, whether that is to ease boredom or to use it to progress in life. In terms of a job change, there are endless courses that can be undertaken online and in our spare time. Even searching for inspiration can be carried out on a phone, tablet or laptop whenever and wherever is convenient to us. Exploring the options and working out what needs to be changed can all be started from a spotlight being on how you feel and why you feel this way. Being honest with ourselves is often the first hurdle to overcome.
Sometimes it takes something big to make people take action, or even realise for the first time that something does need changing in their life. Such a realisation doesn’t need to be a negative thing either – I don’t think spending years without fully realising that something needs to change is a good thing at all.
Of course, nothing may need to change. The last couple of months may also have made people realise how much they like their lives, especially now they have been able to focus on it a bit more. Life doesn’t always have be changed for the better, it can also be kept and focused on more to ensure what is liked about it stays there. Focusing on relationships is very important, and perhaps once our world is back to a relative normality, keeping in contact with our friends and family will be one of the important changes that will be kept throughout the world.
Sarah Keeping MBPsS MSc PgDip GDip BA (Hons) Cert HE
Follow Sarah on twitter at @keepingapproach
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