While it should be obvious that we should be focusing on our life, there are times when we get caught up caring too much about someone else’s life and something far more distant than ours. We neglect most of the things we have while looking elsewhere and admiring someone else’s life. In the process, sometimes we forget that we can be like that, happier or any adjectives that you would attribute to that person. This is a reminder that you can have a happier life like the ones you normally see or look up to.

While tending my balcony the other day, I realized that one of my plants withered. I have a hybrid species from Crown of Throne. This house plant is spiky and best as ornamental yet defensive plants. Mine grows in a huge pot and used to bloom so beautifully but it has been many months since I neglected it. So, I moved it closer to where I normally hang out and somewhere I can always see.

It invites me into this reflection that these days, we tend to see what’s out there while filling the gap of our day. We are bombarded with someone else’s life, on-going drama and the world politics that constantly tries to grab our attention. If we get caught up in the middle of those, it’s not your win but everybody else’s.

The thing is, energy and attention are our most prized possession these days. Forget about money for a while but if you can master those two, I think you'll master the way of living. I don’t necessarily disagree with the presence of social media and everything that we currently have. However, I think we’re at the late stage of it all. We are simply tired of seeing it all.

I recently heard a conversation between someone in their early 20’s. They all felt hopeless because the future doesn’t seem like it’s worth fighting for. They said that whenever they look at the news and social media, there’s really no hope in doing anything. They are now desensitized and unsure how to move forward.

Honestly, it is sad to see that kind of mindset. The world as we know today is certainly shifting. It reminds me that back in the day we didn’t grow up with smartphones but then, smartphones are now everywhere. This is just like AI where now, it seeps into every part of our lives and in a year or two, we can be so reliant on it and there will be no going back.

So, really in navigating the world that’s going in a direction that can be quite unprecedented, our energy and attention is the best leverage we all have. For me personally, I have this guilt of watching too much aesthetic interior design content. I wanted to own a place that looks as aesthetic as those perfectly curated houses. The thing is, I forgot to look around that I too, can create something like that because the commonality between all those aesthetic surroundings is simply a clean, clutter free and well-managed home.

Certainly, it’s easier to work with a blank canvas but in my case, when I start decluttering again, it frees up a lot of things in my life. Things are starting to take shape and I know exactly what to fix, what to keep and what to improve. Just by doing that, I remember times when I look at someone’s life and they appear happier, had more fun experiences. The thing is, I too can be like that. It’s all a matter of living and doing it, rather than just looking at someone’s life and watching our time pass by.

Though it may seem slow, tedious, and challenging, there will be a time when our work and what we do now will be rewarded. Just like the plants that have their time to bloom and their season to shine.