about that one simple saying
I think the most beautiful advice someone could ever get comes out of the most seemingly simple affirmation- one you’ve probably been spoon-fed since before you can remember: life is what you make it. Don’t roll your eyes, because the more you really think about the true meaning behind it, the more exciting it gets. You have a few different ways you can take a look at the big grand scheme of things: either you can fixate on the mindset of “nothing really matters because we are insignificant beings living on a rock” which yes, in theory this mindset can be useful in some situations like overthinking a typo in an email to your boss, or trying to overcome hangxiety after a night out. You can also go the opposite route; you can go through life knowing that absolutely nothing that comes your way is a coincidence because there are no coincidences. Everything you face, whether good or bad, big or small, was put in your life for a greater purpose, and that purpose is to help you figure out and play out exactly what role you have in this big scary world.
Whether you’d like to look at it from a theological standpoint, a scientific standpoint, or somewhere in the middle, there is one fact that cannot be denied by anyone, and that is that all matter- all energy throughout this entire universe- can neither be created nor destroyed. It has always been there, making up everything we can and cannot sense, and is just waiting to be molded into the purpose it is meant to serve. It’s every person, every thought, every star in the sky, and everything that hasn’t even come into fruition yet. This is exactly why this philosophy is so important to understand. Just think about how Mr Miyagi in The Karate Kid says to “flow like water”. The so-called “secret to life” isn’t really a secret at all, it’s just about allowing yourself, and the energy you are made up of, to be malleable and open to growing from experiences, both good and bad. Once you accept that all situations you face in life are meant to happen, you begin your journey down the path designed just for you.
This is the most exciting yet comforting part in my opinion (and I could write about this forever but don’t worry, I’ll save you the reading time for now and cut to the chase). Every single person on this planet, you and I and everyone in between, has a unique path designed just for them. The matter and energy that shape each step of our lives have already always existed. So every detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant, serves a greater purpose in our journey. Everything you’ve wondered about since childhood—your career, your spouse, the city you’ll live in, the kids you may have—is already somewhere along this path, preparing itself and waiting for you to be ready to pick it up and run with it.
It may seem like a waiting game trying to figure out what’s meant to be temporary versus what’s meant to be yours. And sometimes yeah, it’s going to feel like a game that you’re losing- but I promise you no matter what, it all works out the way it needs to. Sure, it’s frustrating when you just changed your major for the fifth time yet you’re still questioning your decision, or when you just had to break off your third situationship of the year because the one you thought was different ended up hurting you just like the rest. But here’s the thing- you wouldn’t reach the things you are destined to keep without experience gained from the things that weren’t meant to stay. There is no such thing as a “setback”, because nothing that’s meant for you will ever stop waiting for you; it’s all about just making sure you get to the right things when you’re fully ready for them.
The absolute best way to find what’s meant for you is to use your excitement and passion as your compass. Surround yourself with friends who give you the same energy as a shot of espresso, and feel like a warm hug after a bad day. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a career or a hobby- dive into work that makes you too excited about waking back up and getting started again to actually go to sleep. Listen to music that makes you want to roll the windows down and take the long way home just so you don’t have to stop listening. Move to the city you’ve stared at with stars in your eyes since you were a little kid. Become enthralled with that one person who loves every part of you so much it makes you start to fall in love with details of yourself you never thought you could.
Because here’s the deal- not only are these people and things meant for you, but you are meant for them. That friend group doesn’t laugh quite as hard without your jokes. That work you are so passionate about will change someone’s life somehow in some way, whether you know it or not. Every time you take the long way home to listen to a song twice you’re allowing that musician to fulfill THEIR purpose. That city’s lights don’t shine as bright without you under them. That person- your person- will start to fully understand love because they see that you are filled with it.
What is the point of the passion we have in our hearts if we are too afraid to let it guide us? It is such a waste of this beautiful thing called life if you don’t allow yourself to embrace every feeling and experience you come across- love, passion, heartbreak, dedication, nostalgia- they are all such a privilege and necessity to have. So sure, you can keep the “we’re on a floating rock in space” mindset, that’s fine- but that rock exists for you and I and everyone in between, as a place to explore and love and make our own. Why would you not take advantage of that?
