Good Morning friends!

There is something unusually familiar about my setting this morning as I write. It's the cusp of summer, the birds are singing and I'm writing uninterrupted with what feels like unlimited time. There is a beauty in being able to capture moments of your past and revisit them. You'll notice you feel differently now to how you did then. Positively and negatively. I think it's special to even spend a few seconds as you're past self and bask in it's glory.

I was re-reading a journal from a year ago and one line I found resonated with a fresh mind: life is supposed to be meaningful and fulfilling. We complicate things. We follow paths blindly with expectations thrust upon ourselves when in fact other elements that go against the grain can actually get us there. For instance, apart from having a kid, nothing else in my life has really changed in the past year. This could be a serious lack of ambition on my part, or it could be embracing a whole new role. It just depends on perspective right? Either way, the choice and decision has been determined by my life philosophy of making my life meaningful and fulfilling.

It takes us back to the simplest parts of our existence - why do we do what we do? What truly matters to us? And only we know. Even being influenced by others, you'll still end up with those same questions. The scary thing is when we're not living the life we want, we have to overhaul it. I remember doing this in 2012 and 2018. And it's the best thing I ever did. I used to think living the same year over and over again was boring. It was because there were parts of my life I detested. I'd say since 2019, it's been the same year again and again yet it's fulfilling as it comes from a place of loving life. Yes, the tough things still come and go but when the majority of your life is led by love and your 'guiding light', you're able to stand up and get through. This idea of a 'North Star' is legitimate once you're living it. Not that you're life is better than anyone else's but that you're living the life best for you.

This idea, being a life philosophy or a 'why' should feel loose. It's open to your own interpretation. It can be general so you can clutch onto what you can in moments of pain but also attribute successful living easily. My idea of a meaningful life will differ from yours, and that's a good thing. It shouldn't be something that's dismissed as you're missing out on a source of vitality.

A simple way to tap into it right now is thinking about the best experiences of your life so far. What were they and why did they make you feel so good? What was it about the values you hold that made that so special to you and only you?

A life philosophy is built. It takes time. Like anything long-lasting and forever, you should treat it with the respect it deserves. And regardless of what stage of life you're at now, the reassuring thing about this is you can choose to begin living this way from now. I talk about the last 6 years of my life being led this way. It's a long time yes but in the grand scheme of life it's not. It will change and evolve over the years but knowing I'm choosing to live this way brings me peace that I'll live a full life when I look back at the end.

Write to me with your ideas of a life philosophy. I'd love to read them.

Otherwise, have a cracking Sunday and see you all next week.

Best,

Lawrence