The Cost of Productivity:
Remembering the Beauty of Being
In this fast paced society we value profit, productivity and discipline.
Have we forgotten the beauty of simply being?
When was the last time you had an insightful conversation with a family member?
So many of us live in fear of doing life "wrong". Every day we are exposed to how others are living their life. Of course we will compare. If a post on Instagram Reels has 1 million likes, they must be doing something right compared to your post that has 25 likes. It might not be a conscious thought but comparison is inevitable when we live our life online.
When I was a kid, I found passion in music and shared laughter watching home made funny videos on TV with my family. As we mature, what we valued as children becomes corrupted by materialism.
Passion for financial stability bleeds into passion for music.
Anxiety slowly replaces laughter.
It becomes a conscious effort to maintain the childlike wonder we once had.
We are burnt out, living for the future. That nice house we are saving up for. The all inclusive holiday booked for next month. The perfect job we are going after.
One day the future will no longer exist. When that time comes, some of us will be buried under 10 feet of ground, some planted as a tree or maybe scattered in a meaningful place.
When that time comes, will the house really matter that much? Or will it be the family in the house
Was the all inclusive holiday really that amazing? Or was it the friendship we strengthened on the holiday.
Did gaining your dream job title make all that much of a difference? Or were you underwhelmed by the status and overwhelmed by the workload.
Many of us are losing precious days in the name of productivity. Working towards a life that we thought we wanted. Only to look back and realise that we never appreciated our youth.
So that begs the question...
What do you, in all of your uniqueness, want to get out of life? If you weren't influenced by what everyone else is doing around you, what would your life look like?
Perhaps it genuinely is that job title. And if you, and you alone made that decision, then amazing. You are working toward a goal that you hold close to your heart. The nuance is in your reason.
Let me demonstrate with an example. Jessica has always loved art. She was an A* student in college and spent all her free time drawing animations. Throughout her college experience, she also browsed social media like every other student of the time. Ideas praised online such as the travel experiences and expensive lifestyles are a steady hum in the background. When it comes to making higher education choices, she decides to pursue marketing as a career. If all the marketing influencers are working remotely, travelling and making loads of money surely she'd love it right?
Consider the hobbies you had as a child. How you spent your free time and the kinds of friendships you had. Are these relevant to your happiness now?
Each and every one of us have one life. How do you want to spend yours?