Stop Trying To Figure Out Life

Life is pretty awesome, isn’t it? But it’s also difficult to figure out life.

I often hear grownups say: “Do you remember how awesome it was to be a kid?” For most of us, that’s true. When we look back, we see how simple our life was.

When you’re young, you play with your toys, go to school, hang out, play sports, etc. But as you grow up, life gets more complicated by the year.

  • First, you have to decide whether you go to college or not.
  • Then, you have to decide what you want to become.
  • You have to get a job.
  • You start thinking about settling down.
  • You get a car.
  • You get a mortgage to buy a house.
  • You have bills to pay. Maybe you have debt.
  • Maybe you get a dog.
  • How about marriage? Yup. Definitely.
  • And then kids.

And finally, one day you wake up and think: WHAT THE FUCK!!!!

  • Why did time move so fast?
  • What was I thinking?
  • Why did I never chase my dream?
  • Why is my life this way?

On that day, you realize that you have no clue what to do. All those years you thought: “I’ve got life figured out. I have a job, a partner, a house.”

Yes, those things play a major part in our life. But at the same time, life is not ONLY about those things.

And while we’re at it: Life can’t be figured out.

People change.

Things change.

Just accept it. Don’t fight it.

You are who you are. Things are what they are.

“No one has it all figured out, especially not the people who are acting like they do and judging you because of it. Pretending to be something you aren’t because you’re trying to please a bunch of judgmental hypocrites and shitheads is not the way to be happy.”
― Tucker Max

“What now?”

Well, it’s time to LIVE, my friend. Do things that excite you. Put yourself out there.

If you’re reading this, that means you’re alive, right? But that’s not what matters.

The question is: Do you LIVE?

Or: Do you tick off items on a list and say that you’re living? Because that’s not life, that’s doing groceries.

Do you know that chapter from Fight Club with Tyler Durden and Raymond K. Hessel? (it’s chapter 20 if you want to read it).

If you don’t know Fight Club: Tyler Durden is one of the main characters and hates modern civilization. His goal is to cause mayhem and rebuild society.

The particular scene that I’m talking about goes like this: Out of the blue, Tyler Durden puts a gun to Raymond’s head, who works in a convenient store, and says: “Listen, now, you’re going to die.”

Then Tyler Durden asks Raymond what he wanted to become when he grew up. And Raymond says: “veterinarian.” But he is not in school right now.

Durden says: “You could be in school working your ass off, Raymond Hessel, or you could be dead. You choose.”

Now, I know that life is not a novel or an excellent movie, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from that last quote.

This is what I’m trying to say: You could be doing X, but instead, you’re just picking the safe road because you think you’ve figured out life.

Job + House + Spouse + Kids + Holidays = Happiness.

Sounds solid, but here’s the thing: You can fail at anything. Safe. Unsafe. It doesn’t really matter. You could be fired from a well-paying job. You could lose your house. Your relationship could end. You could even die tomorrow. Chances are small. But still. You get it.

So why not take a chance? Take a chance with love, your career, your business.

Because life can’t be figured out. You will never “figure it out.” There is no one road to happiness, wealth, or success.

I could be completely wrong about everything in life and land, face down, on the curb when I find out how wrong I was. But I’m okay with that. At least I try to overcome my fears on a daily basis.

I tried to figure out life for a long time, and for years, I even thought I had it all figured out. I had the job, girlfriend, car, friends, holidays. Until one day that I found out that I had no clue what life was about.

Life is just one long process that doesn’t always make sense.

As Raymond K. Hessel runs off to start his dream job of becoming a veterinarian, Tyler Durden says:

“Your dinner is going to taste better than any meal you’ve ever eaten, and tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of your entire life.”

That’s how life feels after you’ve made a bold move. Every now and then, shake up your life, and do something that makes you scared.

And remember that life can’t be figured out—so you might as well just enjoy it.

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