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(SitNews) - I ran into a friend this week that I haven't seen in a while and in the course of catching up and finding out how my friend was doing in life,  a verbal gem was dropped into the conversation, "Life's pretty Boring at the moment....."

At the time, those few words didn't really register, until after I came home and thought about how sad that statement is! There is an old cliche that states, "only boring people are bored" and in danger of sounding conceited, I have to admit that it's 100% correct. Never in history has an American had so many opportunities to not be bored in life!

Bored
By Cameron Cardow©, The Ottawa Citizen
Distributed to subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.

Only 100 years ago, if you wanted to get a post-secondary education, learn a new language, or learn to play an instrument, it was simply out of your reach. Only the rich and wealthy could afford such luxuries. The "common man and woman" had to work everyday just to survive and put food on the table.

However, quite recently (and partly because of the internet) one doesn't have to be bored ever again! 

But what do we do instead with our time?

• Watch Movies
• Play video Games
• Watch the NFL
• Shop on Amazon
• Stay at home

I believe that one of the reasons that we waste away our lives, day after day, is because we have no goal or mission in life. We have no vision for our future! We tend to fall into the trap of short-term thinking and instant gratification.

In all fairness, our culture is designed poorly. We work +8 hrs a day 5 days a week and on the two days off we have kids, church, fundraisers, family obligations, etc... and by the time we actually get home all we want is a few hours to just decompress and relax. Except. A lot of us don't have kids (or they are moved out of the house), we don't go to church, we don't socialize, and our families live hundreds of miles away. So, what is our excuse?

Retirement Age
By Cameron Cardow ©, The Ottawa Citizen
Distributed to subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.

“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it.”---Jordan Belfort  

I have always been fascinated about death because it is absolutely the one thing that none of us can escape. I remember clearly as a child the first time I saw Peter Pan and afterwards I ran into the kitchen and told my mom, "I will be fun and exciting like Peter Pan and I will never grow up!" Yet decades later I am suddenly an adult and my childhood dreams of being Peter Pan have long been swept under the carpet.

None-the-less, I refuse to say while on my death bed and reflecting on my life. That my biggest regret was "wishing that I wasn't such a boring person during the prime of my life!"

You don't need to be rich to be fun. You don't need to have a Ducati to be exciting. You don't need to have a passport to be worldly... The grass is rarely greener on the other-side.

So, if you or your friend ever say, "My life is pretty boring." Stop them immediately because there is something majorly wrong. The solution to find more fulfillment in our life is already in front of us, we just don't realize it...just ask your elders what they most regret in their life and they will answer:

I wish that I had let myself be happier
I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings
I wish I hadn't worked so hard
I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me

Friends, we have only one life to live. So, don't have the regrets in your old age that so many unfortunately have. Set goals, come out of your comfort zone, be proactive in your happiness and live.  

Arthur Martin ©2016

Arthur was originally born in the Soviet Union and immigrated legally to Alaska when he was young. He graduated from Craig, Alaska. Holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and worked for the Alaska State Legislature for three sessions.

Arthur now lives on Prince of Wales Island. He can be contacted at powreport@gmail.com

Arthur Martin is the Editor of the P.O.W. AK Report
www.powreport.com

Representations of fact and opinions in comments posted are solely those of the individual posters and do not represent the opinions of Sitnews.

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