A Piece on Contentment

Contentment
A state where you're satisfied with how things are
where you can breathe and not regret
where you can go about with a feeling of peace
where you actually are calm enough to feel

For me, these moments come fleeting.
We have a hi-bye relationship.
We don't really know each other well.
Just acquaintance but not friends.

I wish that we were the best of friends
because things are frazzled
and contentment is the furthest thing right now

contentment.
will we ever be better acquainted?

In the midst of mountaining assignments,

I always begin to question,

WHY?!
why so much work?

why so much to do?

It's like a cycle, really.

You start a semester, 

happy cause you get to see your friends,

then the real stuff starts 

and you see them less

because everyone is just so busy

getting all sorts of things done.

Then suddenly, life becomes a darker place

with more assignments 

as your constant companion.

It's almost annoying that it is

perhaps the most consistent thing

in every semester.

the bulk load of assignment!!!

Yes. This is a rant.

Now, back to the mountain.

The Plan

*Image from: http://jimlucasmusic.com/the-plan/

“Failing to plan is planning to fail”
― Alan Lakein

Planning.  Preparing for the future.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve all done this or something that resembles this.  And, if you’ve done it then there’s a good chance that there were once or twice that things just didn’t go as planned, whether it’s your dinner plan, your study plan or your life plan.

All hope is not lost. According to Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky (1979), we are not as great at planning as we like to believe. Ever heard of the planning fallacy? That’s when we underestimate the amount of time and effort needed to accomplish a certain task even though we might have similar experience of doing such tasks in the past. So now, we can all not feel that bad when the plan didn’t work.

*image from http://www.fleetfeetstlouis.com/news/was-this-in-the-plan

Yet,  people come up with that funny thing called Plan B. Plan A should have been a dead giveaway that plans are a not the most reliable things in the world. So, to counter that, we shall come up with another plan. Amazing how human logic works. No?

Nonetheless, we’ve been taught to plan and plan ahead. It’s almost frown upon when you don’t have a plan. Most common questions involve: “So, what do you plan to do after you graduate?” If your answer consisted of any variation of something like “ I don’t know, I haven’t got a plan yet,” , then they usually look at you with sad eyes, pitying you for your lack of planning and feeling sorry for future you.

So, what if one doesn’t have a plan? Can’t we all just live in the present for once without trying to be clairvoyant and predict what the future might bring? Can’t we just be contented with now?

In our quest for that perfect job, that perfect life and perhaps that perfect relationship, we are planning, planning to succeed every step of the way, maybe even factoring in a few setbacks to be realistic. However, we often forget that we are living in the present and that’s all we will have. Tomorrow is an illusion that will never come. You’ll never have tomorrow, you only have today. And if today is not worth having then what is?

Some quotes on why sometimes, not having a plan might be better.

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”
― Allen Saunders

“To hear never-heard sounds,
To see never-seen colors and shapes,
To try to understand the imperceptible
Power pervading the world;
To fly and find pure ethereal substances
That are not of matter
But of that invisible soul pervading reality.
To hear another soul and to whisper to another soul;
To be a lantern in the darkness
Or an umbrella in a stormy day;
To feel much more than know.
To be the eyes of an eagle, slope of a mountain;
To be a wave understanding the influence of the moon;
To be a tree and read the memory of the leaves;
To be an insignificant pedestrian on the streets
Of crazy cities watching, watching, and watching.
To be a smile on the face of a woman
And shine in her memory
As a moment saved without planning.”
― Dejan Stojanovic

“The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.”
― J.M. Barrie, The Little Minister

“Plans are invitation to disappointment.”
― Derek Landy, Mortal Coil

“Book your life choices in advance the same way you would book flights, car rentals, hotels, and excursions. Figure out early on in your career whether you intend to be financially independent or marry a rich man, join the ranks of the professional elite or be the stay-at- home type, postpone having children or find part-time employment. Then fasten your seat belt and sit tight as you watch your trajectory veer off course.”
― Veronique Vienne, The Art of Being a Woman: A Simple Guide to Everyday Love and Laughter

Life without a plan, or rather less planned, can be scary but it can also mean much more freedom. There is no foolproof step by step guide that will assure you total success. So, instead of planning every step of way, do something unexpected, do something new and hear that music in your soul as it lives with anticipation and vigor. Celebrate spontaneity. And that unplanned moment may be the best one ever. So, loosen up with the plans and go with the flow.  Carpe Diem.

Disclaimer: Author is not responsible for any unplanned outcomes from not planning.

Best

The argument that if things were not as hectic,
if conditions were somehow better,
then one's performance or results would have been at their best.

However, there will be given circumstances,
although we sometimes are the reason for those state of affairs,
and we will be required to work and perform under them

No matter how disadvantaged,
how lacking,
how crappy,
Those are the conditions you are given,
One's best is when they make the best out of them
Not when they are given optimum surroundings to perform.

In fact, when the conditions are optimum,
there is no reason to fail,
no reason to be that close and not get it.'

So, doing your best is best.
The outcome matters but
your effort in it,
Just as much.

Believing

I was never one of those that was to bother much.
But you believed in me,
Believed that I could be much more
and achieve much more.

You saw what I didn't see.
You believed that I can.
You shaped my perception of possibilities
and made me believe too.

You paved the possibility
That I could,
That I will,
And, so I did.

Thank you for believing yesterday
that today was possible
you have made all the difference
to me.

Breaking Free

 “Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.” 

― Jon Krakauer

Growing Up

Those two words that mean a lot.
What does it mean to grow up?

To pay bills and take on mortgages?
To think and act maturely?
To understand the many secrets of life?

Is it like a checklist that you tick off
and then qualify for?
Do you have to have them all
Or are there deal breakers?

Hmm. But one thing is sure.
It comes with a shift in paradigm.
To see the same things with a different set of eyes.
To understand another viewpoint
that may have never crossed your mind.

And perhaps, to understand that
there are no clear cut answers
No matter how convenient that notion is.

To realize that life is multifaceted
and that we're limited in our understanding towards it.

Growing up is a process.
Not an end goal.
It will continue on and on.
Just like the many things in life.

Time to grow up?
Maybe not yet.

Laters.