Do Something That You Care About — Don’t Just Survive
There’s a quote that I have always really liked from ancient Morocco. They once said, “He who has nothing to die for has nothing to live for.” This saying has always struck me powerfully because of how straightforward yet convicting it is. So often in my life, I’ve found that I have little worth fighting for. I do what I do simply because it’s what’s expected of me, not really because it’s what I really love.
That’s the reason why I have always tried to make a conscious effort to do things with my time that are worth fighting for. It does not even matter too much to me what in particular those things are, because living a life where you have nothing worth fighting for is not a life worth living. It is simply surviving. And that kind of life will leave only regrets at the end.
Perseverance is a personality trait that’s become critical to me over the years. I hate the feeling of quitting. Not only do regrets start to creep in when I give up, thinking about what would be if I had only persevered through, but when I quit , I feel like I am once again living a life that has nothing truly to fight for.
I didn’t truly find contentment in my work or in my life until I started making the conscious choice to not quit on the things which mattered to me. Even when things have crumbled around me, I still take comfort in the knowledge that what I’m doing with my time and effort is worth fighting for.
So many people are locked in occupations they don’t like and don’t have a future. They do not have things in their lives that pushes them to excel and do not have a plan for how to get to a better place. For those folks, it’s vital to try to find things that they can really pour their heart and energy into, regardless of whether it’s simply a spare time pursuit, or a job that pays less than what they are doing now. Don’t just survive. Find things to do you can really care about.
Ben Mester is an author who likes to explore life in today’s world. For more thoughts on the topic, check out Bible verses about hope, and Bible verses about sacrifice.
categories: perseverance,not giving up,quotes