5 Reasons to Ditch Escapism and Wake Up
I know it’s hard…. It’s hard to deal with all of the chaos and pain of life. But if you close yourself off from the bad, you’ll miss out on all of the good too. Even as I was writing this, I paused a couple times to scroll through Pinterest… because writing this meant thinking about everything I’ve been giving up… feeling the weight of past failures and lost hours… which ironically pushed me to lose more minutes. So, here’s my reminder. Reality is worth it.
1. You could die tomorrow.
It’s a cliche…. and it almost definitely wouldn’t happen. However, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility…. and if it did happen, would you be satisfied that you sat in a dark room staring at a screen all day? Would you be satisfied that you partied with people you know next to nothing about and likely won’t even remember next week all night? Or would you wish you’d gone somewhere beautiful, deeply connected with another human, or made a difference to anyone in anyway.
2. Your dreams might not be impossible.
There are so many things that exist today that use to be impossible. Almost everything we use regularly most people wouldn’t have even dreamed of just a century or two ago. All it took to make those things reality was a handful of people to believe they were possible, and then do the work to bring them to life….. And then commit to the work, so when Plan A didn’t work out, they’d try plan B, and C, and D, And E, and F…… until suddenly something did work…. almost like magic… like snapping your fingers to fill a room with light or instantly communicating with someone on the other side of the planet.
Do you ever stop and think about just how impossible those things should be… I mean unless your super knowledgeable about physics and technology…. they’re straight up real life magic.
So, believe in your dream and bring it into reality.
3. Someone needs you in their life.
If you’ve ever felt lonely you know. There are people that just fit together. Sometimes it’s as colleagues. Sometimes as friends, or romantic partners. Someone out there will fit just right with you in someway….. and if you keep living in fantasy instead of reality… you’ll never find each other. You might not feel your loneliness because you keep your mind busy… but someone who could have added a great value to your life is stuck out there without you.
4. This Life is (as far as anyone can prove) all we have.
If this is it…..
Do I really need to say more?
Sure, there are so many ideas of an after life that there’s a decent probability that there may be something beyonde this.
There’s also a chance that there isn’t.
If this is it…. Is it enough to just be alive and not really live?
5. Escapism is a lie.
When you beat that video game…. you didn’t actually save or conquer anything.
When you finish that novel…. you didn’t actually have an epic romance.
When the credits role on that movie…. you didn’t actually go on a spectacular adventure.
When you come down from that high…. you didn’t actually build any real connections.
When you stop scrolling social media… you haven’t added any value to your life.
It sure feels like it though. It gives you that same satisfaction in your mind, and that’s why it’s so addictive…. and it’s a satisfaction that is so much easier to achieve than say … actually saving someone, actually completing a challenge, falling in love, going on a real-life adventure, making friends, cleaning up your space and lifestyle. Those things are all hard…. When we dive into escapism, it is those things were seeking. But, escapism is a lie. Giving into those urges will put you farther from the reaching the desires that pulled you into them.
Some Bonus Reminders:
“I enjoy life when things are happening. I don’t care if it’s good things or bad things. That means you’re alive.”
“My Mission in life is to not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry, and be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
