What is the thing you really want in life? Do you know what will truly make you happy? Have you found out what could make your life feel genuine happiness? Often the not, grown-ups think that these questions are only meant for children and teens. We sometimes think that the two decades of living would already suffice in knowing the answers to all these questions. But in reality, it's hard to know what we really want in life. It's a difficult task to accomplish —knowing and being sure of what could make us truly and genuinely happy.
A peek of your future looks like the picture of your past
A year ago, I came across this wonderful thought/question What are the things you have enjoyed doing the most when you were a child? I could list all those things down, well aside from playing outside with my cousins, I really did enjoy a lot of hobbies that involve creating something. I love drawing, mixing things found in the kitchen, and doing assembly of things. I have never imagined that I'd find myself in the path that I'm in right now in my career.
My work is heavy on doing analytical tasks that requires computing and problem-solving. At first, I thought that my love for creativity has no place in what I currently do but I was mistaken. Here's why: Science needs people that don't just think critically but also have a creative mind. When I started looking at my work problems with that lens, that's when my work became more enjoyable, something that I truly enjoy.
A treasure found from the intangible things
Have you ever set something as one of your goals in life? May it be a short-term or long-term goal, I think everyone of us have set our eyes on things that our money could buy. In this time of pandemic, I had a phase of resolving my frustrations with retail therapy. It feels so good but its uplifting feeling is just temporary. After a day or two, I'd come to realize that it wasn't really a smart purchase. Asking yourself the question Do I really want this? is a very good practice in determining what we truly want.
In the book I'm currently reading, it presents the question What do I really want? as a huge and important issue. The book is very comforting to tell the reader that The big and important things in life take time to answer. With all the good things that we see or have seen, plans thought and have made, people we know and will meet, it could be very confusing. But rest in this thought that it's always the experiences and relationships we have and will have that could make us truly happy.
A reflection of yourself from a mirror in an empty room
Whenever I'd be ask of what my dream is, I remember the child that I was answering this question with a delighted face of jobs like being a doctor, lawyer, cashier, soldier, and other more things. As I grew older, with still a little experience in life, the dream that I see for myself is to have a life that I enjoy.
The philosopher Simone de Beauvoir thought that what people really want is to enjoy their lives. But we often mistake the things bought and the opinions of other people as our key in unlocking the gift of happiness. Sometimes we put so much value in what other people want for themselves and their opinions on what they think we want. De Beauvoir pointed out that our focus should be on what we want for ourselves, free from the influence of the people around us. The most important job we could have in life is knowing what we really want and the answer to that is unique for all of us.
On a side note, I'd like to share my recent pursuit of happiness. Hehe. I bought an iPad! I had months of thinking whether it's a smart purchase or not, I carefully thought of the pros and cons on buying the model that I want, what would be fitting to the purpose of why I'm buying it. I intended to use this device in note taking since I love taking notes when I study. Even though I'm no longer a student (officially), I still enjoy reading and learning different things on my own. I bought the cheapest model that could do the job that I want to do with it and for the past week I have been using it in reading and drawing! I never thought that I could get back with my childhood hobby of drawing using my iPad. I've been using Autodesk Sketchbook and I'm enjoying its tools and features, it's so great for a free application. ☺️
