Do you ever fantasize about that good life you wish you could have? What would a perfect life look like?

• As a child, it would have been seeing both parents give me full attention, attending to all my needs and wishes like an all able and all-powerful ‘god’
• As a teenager, it would have entailed having that personal, private space  – free from the prying eyes of the parents so I can think, feel and do whatever I want
• As a young adult, it would involve having a loving supportive partner, doing a job I love, and having a promising future success. I would be having the best life both at home and at work
• If I was an old man, the perfect life would entail I being in perfect health, being surrounded by my people with no regrets in life

But then the above things constitute a perfect life, not the real life. Fantasizing about the perfect can be so sweet we forget how good life already is. Let’s repaint the perfect life with a bit of reality:

• The kid may not be having total attention from the parents but the parents would sacrifice their sleep when the kid is unwell, work so hard to get bonuses to give special treats for the kid and most importantly, make sure the kid has safety and attention while the parents have to work and make money
• He teenager craving freedom has a roof under their heads and the parent is protecting the kid from bad influences from the net and in the neighborhood. Such protection may cost freedom but it allows the kid to succeed at school and potentially be great in life
• The young adult will not have a smooth love relationship or utopic work experience. The young adult has a rocky life that gives them valuable experiences that if put together later in life would make them an inspiration – think about the people you admire and you’ll see that we admire them for what they have achieved despite the obstacles
• The elderly man may have health challenges but they’re lucky to have lived longer than the average life expectancy over a century ago. Most importantly, the elderly have so much accumulated experience that carries with it profound wisdom

The life journey may not be as perfect as we wish it to be, but it’s a good thing to have a chance to experience each stage of life. Giving your best at where you currently are in life may not give you all that you ideally want, but it’ll make you proud of yourself in the future as the memories of the past can either be nostalgic or traumatic.

It’s for this reason that we need to enjoy the journey as we pursue our goals.

Lead your life to reach your goals; live deliberately

Article photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash