Having a life worth living is a goal that many of us have. We want to live like that but we don’t really understand what actually makes a life worth living. Is it material possessions? Is it a sense of accomplishment? Is it based on a number?
If you were to ask ten of your closest friends what makes a life worth living, each of them would give you a different answer. Some might say that music makes a life worth living while others might mention companionship, wealth, or even pet ownership. These answers will generally come a little too quickly and will often focus on the most recent pleasant experience the respondent has had. If your friend just brought home a new puppy, they might tell you that puppy kisses make life worth living. If you ask a friend who just got engaged, they might tell you that love makes life worth living.
None of these answers really seems to pinpoint what we are looking for. Perhaps a single answer is not possible. Possibly, having a life worth living is more about the actual process of living and cannot be summed up in a single word or thought. It could be that life behaviors themselves make life worth living though the process of creating, learning, or playing. More likely, the answer is even less complicated: happiness.
Regardless of anyone else’s answer, each of us, in our own way, needs to decide what makes our own life worth living each day. Subsequently, we need to try to make each day count. A life worth living never begins in bondage to the past or tied up in worry about the future. The past is behind you and the future has yet to come so it is an active choice to let either of them choose the path you will take in the here and now. A better way to face the day is through the use of positive affirmations (Stapely, 2014). You can make the choice to start the day with positive statements like these:
- It’s okay to be happy.
- I deserve to be happy.
- I am willing to let go and experience joy in my life.
- I choose to release all sadness from my past.
- I release the past and live in the now.
- I am at peace.
- I love being me.
If none of those fit, create your own positive statements but make sure that you are choosing to embrace your true self and your life.
If you struggle to see the worth in your existence or suffer from anxiety and/or depression, you can take a self-assessment for these conditions and many more on the Brookhaven Retreat website under the “Making a Change” tab. Brookhaven Retreat is a private residential treatment center for women dedicated to treating emotional and mental health and/or substance abuse issues.
References
Stapely, L. (2014). The Power of Affirmations: 1,000 Positive Affirmations. Lexington, KY: Createspace.
