Lost In The Crowd

By definition, randomness is the lack of pattern or predictability in events. When it comes to my life, I recognize that I was living a very scattered, misdirected existence. Lost in the crowd.

Undoubtedly, this lack of purpose and direction lead me down a path of apathy and depression.

Now safely out of the grips of my former condition, I feel I can comment on what that situation was like and how I got out of it in the hopes that it might help someone in a similar situation.

Going with the Flow

A lot of people tend to take their cues on what to do from friends, family, co-workers, whomever. I see it all around. And I was certainly one of those. We go to college or university because other people tell us we should. We get married or have children because we think that’s what our family would want.

We go to college or university because other people tell us we should. We get married or have children because we think that’s what our family would want. We struggle to get jobs that make us a lot of money because that’s what everyone else is doing.

Advertising bombards us with images of products we don’t want or need with promises of happiness.

All the while, our inner voice, our conscience is keeping tabs. Every one of us has a unique inner voice.  In some cases, we’ve been able to hear it from a young age. In others, it takes more time to develop. In any case, it is there – speaking to us. We just have to listen.

Finding Your Inner Voice

Around 2013, you would have seen me with a good job, making good money, hanging out with friends, partying – yet I was undeniably unhappy.

Not paying to this inner voice may cause you to become despondent, irritable even angry. In some cases, it may also lead to acute health conditions.

To try and drown out that inner voice, some of us may overeat, drink too much, party too hard, etc. Let’s face it. Going with the flow is relatively smooth sailing. As long as you don’t rock anyone’s boat, nobody is going to care.

In order to be open to hearing what your inner voice has to say, take these simple steps:

• Cut out the noise: reduce or eliminate the amount of media you consume.
• Pray/Meditate: Take time every day and listen. Silently. This is best done in the early morning when there are no distractions. The great French philosopher Blaise Pascal once wrote that “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
• Get out: Take walks frequently. Get out in nature. Our world is too scattered with technology and has made us lose sight of our humanity.
• Simplify and Create: Take a paper, pen/pencil and start writing or drawing on a regular basis. We are all creative beings.

For more details about how I found my inner voice and how you can find yours, check here.

Scheduling Your Time

Once you’ve locked on to your vision, you can make a plan. Finding your path is one thing. But staying the course is another. There are many things that will try to knock you off course. Either intentionally or unintentionally.

Some of you may balk at the words ‘schedule’ and ‘plan’. I get it. I am definitely in that camp too. However, what I’ve found is that having a rough plan has meant that I free up time to do what I should be doing. Being creative, in my case.

Start with a vision and goals. From there develop your weekly and daily routine. Your schedule should be a weekly catalog of your tasks, appointments, meetings, to-dos, etc. All of these should align with your vision/purpose. If something is out of that scope. Feel free to drop it.

Save an hour or two each week to keep track of your progress and update the next week’s schedule.

Click here to read a more in-depth post on building a better life plan.

That’s all for now. If you liked this article, please share it!

Thanks and have a great day!