Think about it. Did you know that you actually have 30,000 days of life to experience? When you lump it up into one sum number and take away the years, it doesn't really seem like that many days. It sounds a lot better when we put it into perceptive in years, seeing as we look at years as long periods of time and days as short periods of time. To have just a mere 30,000 days to live means there really isn't as much time as we originally thought.
The average age people live up to is 82 years old, and even that is not guaranteed. It's not like there is a certain assured time we will all make it to. 82 years is nothing more than merely an average. If you take that average 82 years and multiple it by the 365 days in a year, the number you end up with is roughly 30,000 days of living, so for purposes of this article we'll stick to that. But one is not to forget, this isn't a marathon leading up to the 30,000th day. This is the game of life, and anything could happen at anytime. Most people don't even get 30,000 days, but some people make it past 30,000 days.
Think about your life and how a good amount of those 30,000 days have already passed by. Some days have been well spent, others maybe not so much. People across centuries have tried to figure out the accurate definition of life. One thing to remember is that there is no true definition of life, as life is series of events that are unique to each individual.
No person ever lives the same 30,000 days as someone else - that's the beauty of life. If it was the same for all of us, we would be living like robots with our lives planned out for us. But wait a second. Isn't that what life has turned out to be? More and more people have accepted life as something that is predestined, rather than something that is waiting to undergo change, like an empty canvas.
The thing about living 30,000 days is that they go by faster than you would ever accept. Look back at your life up to this point, and think to yourself how fast it really went by. Even if you wasted a day, it's still a day gone by and one that you can never get back. Life is about living to the fullest, as everyone knows, and thanks to Drake for constantly reminding us with his ever so popular acronym.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you how to live your life because it would be unfair to generalize everyone's life with one person's concise understanding and doings, but what I can tell you is how not to spend your 30,000 days. The goal of life is to be on your last of the 30,000 days, and when you look back through your mental timeline, you have a smile on your face.
The issue is most people regret a lot of their actions and can't look back with a smile. Thus, the point of this is to help you avoid just that and to be one of the few that actually enjoys life without feeling like you just have to live it to live it.
Here are the things you shouldn't do during your 30,000 days:
Don't do something you hate.
According to Business Insider, the average person spends about 90,000 hours of their life working. To put it into perspective, that is about 3,750 days out of your 30,000 days to live. That's roughly 10 percent of your life dedicated to what you do to earn a living. Many people have forgotten that your job and the industry you're in is actually a choice, rather than something you have to do because it seems like the safe and right thing, or even something that was pushed upon you by your parents.
A recent Gallup poll showed proof that out of 100 million Americans, 70 million actually hate their jobs. This comes as not much of a surprise, as you will constantly hear people say they hate what they do, hate their jobs and don't feel moved by it. What you need to realize is that there is a difference between a job and a career.
A job is something that you have in the short term, and you use it to get by, without being so actively engaged, and just doing the bare minimum to get by. A career is a passion. It is what you love to do. It is what keeps you up late at night working, and it is what truly doesn't even feel like work. Don't be one of those many people on this planet that gets sucked into a job and stays miserable with it forever.
Don't be with someone you don't want to be with.
You see it all the time, especially in Generation-Y. People nowadays have a tough time managing their love lives and end up stuck in relationships with people they don't really want to be with. These people might be with them for stupid reasons like they're too insecure to move on, or they're actually afraid to be alone.
If you don't want to be with someone, and if they don't make you happy, then what is the point of dating them? Essentially, getting stuck in this type of situation is a waste of time, and it is a waste of a good portion of your 30,000 days. It is not written it stone anywhere that we have to always be dating, nor does it say that we should stay with someone we don't want to be with, but have something holding us back.
There are 3.5 billion people of the opposite sex out there. I'm sure there is someone better out there for you, rather than wasting your time and energy with someone that won't be apart of your life in a year. Explore a little, live a little and meet new people.
Don't get too caught up.
I once met someone that had a good chunk of his life taken away to federal prison - ten years to be exact, for committing a white-collar crime. I spoke to him a few months after he became a free man again and asked about the biggest thing he learned from his whole experience. The one thing he stressed to me, out of everything, was that he learned how to appreciate life. Most of us - all of us - have the issue of getting too caught up with things in life that don't really matter and fail to realize the true beauty of life.
He told me that he now appreciates the smallest things, whether it's a beautiful day, or a rainy day. Life is about being present and being grateful for the moments and the little things that we are given. When we are not present, like most of us usually are as we're constantly on our phones and worrying about things that have nothing to do with the present, that is when we miss out on the true beauty of life, where the "little things" are.
Don't be someone you are not.
If you speak to anyone on the brink of their last few days of life and you ask what is one of the few things they regret, one of the greatest regrets a person dwells on is that they ended up trying to be someone they aren't over the course of their life. We live in a world where people within our society are constantly looking to be accepted and searching for the approval of others, rather than just being comfortable with themselves.
For example, the thirst is real on social media - if you haven't noticed. Life isn't about who you try to be, or who you pretend to be, so that you can feel like you are a part of something. It's about living on your own terms and being the person you want to be. If you are constantly wearing a mask, and at some point you take that mask off, your true identity may not be under it anymore.
Don't be a crybaby.
Life isn't about being a crybaby and finding every excuse to make as to why things aren't working out. It's about being resourceful and finding a way to solve problems and constantly excel. Making excuses, placing the blame and whining like a bitch won't get you too far, and no one will feel bad for you. Be that person that looks at challenges as opportunities to grow, rather than signs of defeat.
Don't be involved in drama.
A buddy of mine and I had a conversation recently. This friend is someone I grew up with, and we were laughing at the things we were so worried about ten years ago that don't have any significance now, and the same thing goes for the things that we thought were important just five years ago.
Being someone that is involved in drama, talking shit or trying to get the latest gossip on things may seem fun at the time, and it may seem somewhat important because you are really interested in the matter in the moment, but consider how much simpler your life could be if you distanced yourself from all the drama and stopped worrying about nonsense that won't matter in a few years.
Don't forget to smile.
It's such a simple act, but an act that we, as humans, tend to take for granted. Give someone a smile that wouldn't expect it, or take a few minutes out of your busy day just to laugh to yourself about something you may find funny. It is said that laughing helps you live longer. Act like a kid, and enjoy the moments that life throws your way, rather than over-thinking them.
Don't over-think.
Do you ever realize when you start thinking too much, you can't sleep, start imagining situations that aren't necessarily happening and start becoming more hesitant? As great of an ability as thinking is, you need to cut down on it and go with your gut instinct. Be present in the moment, rather than being there physically and somewhere else mentally.
Closing thought:
In the grand scheme of things, 30,000 days isn't that much time. Each day ahead of you is another chance for you to enjoy the beauty of life and the little things that we are lucky enough to experience as humans. Don't take life too seriously, and for the times it gets tough, get a helmet.
Photos via Tumblr
