The Keys To Creating A Life You Want To Live In

How To Live In 2022 With Strength, Optimism, And Dignity

George Kalantzis
6 min readDec 31, 2021

--

Listen via podcast

Ironically, the most painful experience we have as humans is the death of relationships. Everyone wants to feel like they belong to something. We’re coded for survival, so we seek others to make our lives easier. The problem arises when we lean too much on others for our own survival. What was once meant to be a relationship that makes life more enjoyable becomes an essential, like water.

We forgo our own needs or personal desires to ensure that we won’t be abandoned by this other person. We keep running because validation and acceptance flow freely. Eventually, repressing our own truth becomes impossible. Innately, we recognize something is missing, so we search for anything that can save us. More relationships, more alcohol, more mind-numbing television. We’d rather choose the bad habits that are acceptable to the group rather than choose what is right for us.

The fast-paced world forces us to abandon ourselves before we ever have a chance to explore who we truly are. We let our fears kick in. We hide behind masks. In the process, things break. We break. As parts of us get left behind, we continue to take on new identities to conform and meet others’ expectations and needs. In our attempt to feel accepted, we ignore our feelings. We close off our hearts, and we lose trust in ourselves.

But the faces of change often come when we least expect them.

To let go of grievances and stay open during challenging times requires daily practice in the face of the unhealthy ways we seek to run. It’s called meeting our edge every day we wake up. Of course, this is easier said than done, but here is what I have learned.

The Universe Doesn’t Give A Fuck

Life isn’t going to work out the way you intended. You are going to make mistakes. Your heart will get broken. You will experience struggle. This is all part of being human; it’s what life is about.

The problem arises when we think that something will save us, and everything is part of the journey to bypass the truths we need to face. When in reality, the Universe doesn’t come to our calling when…

--

--

George Kalantzis

George is a professional storyteller, a dad to a sassy and adventurous six-year-old girl, and the author Of Nowhere To Go