Let’s get real for a moment. We’re all guilty of it—fooling ourselves.
Day after day, we convince ourselves that we’re chasing something meaningful, something important. But are we? Or are we just running in circles, keeping ourselves busy until the clock runs out?
The Illusion of Busyness
Think about it. We start with, “I want to become an engineer.” That keeps us busy for five, seven years. Then it’s, “I need a job.” Another year or two gone. Then, “I want this kind of job, that kind of job.” Suddenly, ten years have passed. Then it’s money, wealth, relationships, children. “I want my child to become this, this, this.”
And before you know it, you’re preparing for your funeral.
We keep setting these goals, these milestones, thinking they’ll give our lives meaning.
But are they really? Or are they just distractions—ways to keep ourselves occupied while life slips through our fingers?
Time and Energy
Here’s the hard truth: Life is just a combination of time and energy. That’s it.
Time is rolling away for all of us, every single second. You can’t roll it back. You can’t pause it. You can’t negotiate with it. It’s merciless.
And energy? That’s what you call life. It’s not limitless, but it can be enhanced. The way you use your energy determines the quality of your life.
If you’re functioning at a low level of energy, ten years can feel like a slog. But if you’re vibrant, alive, and joyful, you can live a thousand years’ worth of life in a single lifetime.
The Miserable vs. The Joyful
Have you noticed something? Miserable people always feel like life is too long. They’re counting the days, waiting for it to end. But joyful people? For them, a hundred years feel like a moment.
Time is relative. It’s not about how much time you have; it’s about how you experience it. If you’re miserable, every second drags. If you’re joyful, life flies by in a beautiful blur.
What Do You Really Want?
Let me ask you this: If you had everything—everything you could ever dream of—what would you want? Seriously, think about it. If all your desires were fulfilled, what would you chase next?
Most people never ask themselves this question. They’re too busy chasing the next thing—the next job, the next relationship, the next milestone.
But if you don’t know what you truly want, you’re just fooling yourself.
A Wake-Up Call
You’ve heard the story of Gautama Buddha, right?
His father shielded him from suffering, gave him every luxury, every comfort. But one day, he stepped out of his palace and saw an old man, a sick man, and a dead body. That’s when it hit him: Life is fragile. It’s fleeting. And no amount of luxury can shield you from that truth.
Most of us live like we’re immortal. We think suffering happens to other people, not us. But the truth is, we’re all mortal. We all have a limited amount of time and energy. And if you’re not conscious of that, you’re going to waste it.
The Bewilderment
Here’s something even more sobering: Over 80% of people, in their final moments, don’t die in fear or pain. They die in bewilderment.
They look back and realize they never really lived. They were too busy living in their thoughts and emotions, mistaking their psychological reality for life itself.
Your thoughts and emotions are not life. They’re just noise—a creation of your mind. Life is what’s happening right now, outside your head. It’s the air in your lungs, the ground beneath your feet, the people around you.
The Greatest Evil: Ignorance
The greatest evil in the world isn’t hatred or violence. It’s ignorance. Ignorance of who you are, what life is, and how to live it. If you’re ignorant, you’ll suffer. And if you don’t suffer, I’ll be disappointed. Because suffering is what wakes you up. It’s what forces you to question, to seek, to grow.
If you can live blissfully in your ignorance, what’s the point of knowledge? What’s the point of enlightenment? What’s the point of realizing the truth?
So Stop Fooling Yourself
So here’s my challenge to you: Stop fooling yourself. Stop chasing goals that don’t matter. Stop living in your head.
Ask yourself: What do I really want? How do I want to live? What kind of energy do I want to bring to this life?
Time is rolling away. Energy is finite. Don’t waste it on distractions. Don’t waste it on ignorance.
Live. Truly live.
Also Read: Do You Need To take Your Life Serioulsy