My First 11,111 days: The Five Changes

Today February 23, 2018 is the 11111st day of my life. No one would seem to celebrate this odd day. Think about this, it is expected for all individuals to pass through their 111st day. Majority would perhaps celebrate their 22222nd day, but very few would reach their 33333rd day. Of these three mentioned marked days, the 1111st is perhaps most remarkable because it is the only one characterized by youth and significant changes in life. So I would like to mark this day with the five things I have recently learned. These are themes that may characterized the changes that occurred.

Structure to Spontaneity

Change is constant, but most of us will never accept changes as it is. This is the reason why most of us prefer structure and predictability than spontaneity. I myself was a fan of planned days and activities. In fact, I have structured lists of what I need to do and want to experience and get at least in the next three years. I know changes may occur but I am a person who plans even those changes, so I wanted to have full contract even force majeur happens. However, recently I decide just few minutes before I needed to. I even do the things I would not considering doing instantaneously. Now, I say to myself, "Why not? No one would care." I realized there are things not worth thinking and decided beforehand. One should just attempt to do whatever is acceptable and reasonable from one moment to another.

Expectations to Flexibility

When I meet people I expect them to behave in certain ways. When I get to know a new person, I try to understand them within a framework. I continuously update my thoughts and feelings for a person based on how one behaves. Thereafter, I expect people to behave according to their previous behavioural patterns. Well, this is no longer the case, sometimes it is better to be unpredictable. Do what oneself would not do before. One becomes flexible and more tolerable. In this way, one becomes stronger and more resilient to changes as it happens. Should there be surprises on the way, one might feel uncomfortable at the start, but for a flexible person, new situations are just challenges waiting for one to hurdle.

Within to Outside Boundaries

I can say I utilize deductive reasoning very often. I derive concrete ideas from abstract ideas, in short, from general to specific. Before I needed to have the boundaries first secure before I would even entertain things as long as those are within the prescribed limits. Now, I would like to attempt to go beyond boundaries. It might be risky to do so, but sometimes by looking outside the box, people gain more wisdom than seeing things in a miopic point-of-view. For seeing the world in a wide perspective, one feels very small and helpless against the enormous challenges that confronts us. Because of this helplessness, it would be useless to attempt to find solutions to these humongous challenges. It is better to see smaller sections of life and project an optimistic stance ahead.

Logic to Happiness

From an idealist to becoming a realist is something I have become. Things are no longer dictated by what is reasonable and logical to do. Instead, I gain a hedonist perspective of life, such that as long people or at least I am satisfied with my experiences and the people around me, I am also satisfied and happy. This is to say that life is not about how much logic has been applied to one's life, instead it is about the short flickers that associates with happiness. For example, I travel very often to the extent it is no longer comprehendsible as economically-viable. But I chose to travel regardless of where it is and what it requires as long as I am happy. This is something I wish for everyone also to have.

Future to Present

I am a dreamer until just yesterday. I am more practical now such that what works for today is what I want to do to today. I think less of what I want to have in long-term basis. This might be because I am getting older. I know I am not living in dreamland, but in a world full of unceasingly irritating challenges and changes. Ofcourse, I still want to have a good future. However, I learned to dream as long as I do something to contribute on it today. Today therefore gives anyone a preview of the future. No good future, without one thinking good today.

For those who have known me so long, I guess many were surprised about how I was able to engage in activities I never thought I would even dare to do before. Well, no one could ever be certain about how things will unfold. Perhaps, I will continue to nurture these things I have recently acquired. Or maybe, I would not do so and go back to what I had been before. As I have mentioned before, I am still the same, but I have just realized that for me to be better I need to see the world in varying, sometimes contrasting perspectives.

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