What Is Life?

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. Today marks the beginning of a new series of extended blogs (as if 1,200 words isn't enough) where I attempt to answer some of life's biggest and most impossible questions. I thought we would open up with probably the biggest, yet most opinionated one yet. "What is life?" Now I know what you're probably thinking...how does anyone possibly answer that? Well, honestly I don't even know where to begin. I have been asking a selection of people to send me their responses, so while I think about my answer, here are some of the thoughts from others:

"Life is organic matter with the capability of reproduction" - Dani

"The meaning of life is 42" - Sarah

"Shit" - Tasha

"Every time I get excited something goes wrong" - Vicky 

"Life is life" - Steve B

"Great George Harrison song, but as to the real answer, I'm way out of depth. If I ever figure it out I'm happy to share, for now I'd say it's working enough so you can enjoy time with loved friends and family and try not to get dragged into the convoluted minutiae and obfuscatory admin we all seem to gravitate towards. It's relationships and interactions, shared moments and experiences, it's growth, joy, pain and also a fair amount of routine" - Stephen W

The point I want to make here is that none of these answers are right. However, none of them are wrong either. Life is unique and individual to all of us. It is what we make of it - we are always in control of our own destiny. There is no such thing as fate. Every decision we make, no matter how small of a difference it seems to make, will contribute towards shaping our future, for better or for worse.

As you found out in Chloe's article a few weeks ago, there's a lot of fake news on social media. One thing that is not fake, however, is one particular post on Facebook I saw while researching for this answer (I've said before - only the best content for you guys). "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain". We all go through times in our lives where we can't seem to buy a break. These moments should not be what directs our lives. We have to show strength, courage and determination to learn how to get over the obstacle so we can progress in whatever direction we choose to. 

For some, life is simply about obtaining success. What is success? Again, it is a matter of opinion. To some, success could mean being rich and famous and having everyone know your name. Others would define success and doing a job that you love and being with people that you love. More diplomatic people would say it's whatever makes you happy. Happiness is the reason we stress about money, chase the perfect partner or try to live up to the world's image of what we should be - we believe if we have all those things then we will one day be happy.

Life is the name of a purpose, struggle, love, dedication and emotion. Life shows its true colours with time. It takes many twists and turns along the way, and will not always give you what you deserve. How well you tackle these adverse conditions prove your credibility. Don't be a coward by avoiding the hardships. Nothing can be achieved without effort, fight and the will to succeed. As Paulo Coelho once said, "When you want something, the entire universe conspires towards helping you achieve it." Do not waste your life. Make sure life has a purpose. Identify your aims, head towards your destiny and spend your entire life trying to achieve each and every one of your goals. Time does not wait for anyone - once our time is up it's up. Choose your priorities and do not waste even a precious second of your life. Always strive to succeed and never, ever ever lose hope (a serious blog and I still managed a Taylor reference - yay me).

Life is worthless without hope. Hope is the key ingredient in life that nobody, or nothing, can ever take away from us. Hope is the one thing we must always hold onto through times that challenge us. Remember that everything happens for a reason, and that every bridge in our way is designed to make us stronger and better equipped to handle future issues we will face. Remember that "the darkest hour of night comes just before the dawn." Good always follows bad. Light always follows darkness. Happiness always follows sadness.

"All progress takes place outside the comfort zone". Life does not serve up freebies for us or let us have something that we don't deserve. Life will push us to the limit every day and we need to stand up to it. We must be ready for the fight and be prepared to punch life right in the face (not sure how you do this but it sounded good). Always believe that we can achieve, as nobody else will believe in us if we don't show that we believe in ourselves. Life is a constant battle that we will truly never win. The most important thing is to make sure that we never truly lose it.

If you take away only 2 things from this article, then please make it these inspirational quotes that we can all strive to live life by everyday:

"If opportunity doesn't knock build a door"

"A goal without a plan is just a wish"

Now that I have attempted (and hopefully not failed) to answer one of life's biggest questions, I can tell you about some very exciting news coming your way this coming Monday. You guessed it - September guest blog time! You were entertained by the wonderful Chloe Johnson in August, and I have another amazing young lady lined up for you. Her name is Kate O' Connor and she is a very good friend of mine, so please show her the love that you can. I would give you a hint what to expect, but truthfully I have zero idea myself what the topic is. We will all be surprised together. And the next time I am with you, I will be giving my Premier League matchday 1 predictions (this has come round too quick I can't actually cope).

Enjoy Kate, enjoy the weekend, and I'll see you wonderful people in a week.

Connor

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