“What do you believe in?”
I have never been asked that question, nor have I ever heard it in a typical everyday conversation. It seems like it’s a line only used in movies, for dramatic effect; it’s how you make the hero of a story realize that he believes in something so much, that it’s his destiny to stand up for it, fight for it against all odds, and realize his full potential to achieve whatever he sets his mind to.
But maybe it’s something we should ask ourselves more often. Between work, sleep, and eating, most of us have very little time for ourselves. With what time we do have, we occupy with hobbies, socializing, entertainment, exercise. For a lot of us, regardless of how spontaneous or well planned these things are, it all ends up fitting into that ever-haunting concept: routine. We do these things because we’ve done them in the past… we’re exist in a wide valley, with lots of freedom and lots of room, but it’s a rut nonetheless. It’s a rut that prevents us from setting our minds on things that are over the hill, even if we may once have considered it or thought about it. I’m definitely guilty of that. It makes for a very easy excuse to not do things that I would probably enjoy; I don’t have time for it. The problem with routine is that, like work, it tends to fill the amount of time allotted for it. Which means we’ll never have time for new things, because routine already occupy’s 100% of our life.
I think we all need to be reminded, every so often, about what we believe in. Center ourselves and put things in perspective. Otherwise, it’s easy to get pushed along with the tide. If it’s 5PM and you don’t know what you want to do or need to do, the default choice is probably going to be “dinner. Or “TV”. In other words, routine. There’s a reason why industry functions 9-5 and grad students don’t. Real cool stuff can’t be done while on a clock.
So what do I need to begin thinking about, to get me out of my rut and into doing something that I really love and enjoy and care about? What do I believe in?
Balance
Open-mindedness
Compassion
Learning about the Universe
Good Chinese food
Organization
Far sightedness
Spontaneity
Good Friends
Enjoying life
Good music, whatever genre it may be
Peace – globally, socially, and personally
