Putting Life Into Perspective

Sometimes life gets you down and you need something to snap you out of it and remind yourself that it really isn’t that bad. That happened to me this week.

I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a rough week. Lots of work has been happening in the studio, and while I’m pleased with the amount of content my team has been churning out at such a rapid pace, it seems I haven’t been given the chance to allow the work to breath-that moment to step back and consider what you’ve just made. Instead, it’s been a flurry of activity as we jump back and forth between projects and assignments, with barely a spare second to realize that it’s now 4 days later and holy crap-where did the week go? It seems like as soon as one task is nearing completion, 4 more get dumped on us. Lots of late nights and early mornings.

At some point later in the week, I was coming home late at night, exhausted from another massive work session, and I was surprised to see a man passed out in the hallway of my apartment, using a bag of Doritos as a pillow. It’s an exterior hallway, and even though it has doors, it just basically blocks the wind and is usually pretty cold. I felt really bad for this guy, especially since it was the coldest day of that week. I didn’t know if he was another tenant, or if he was homeless, or just  someone who had stumbled inside drunk from the bars downtown. I didn’t care though, I felt I had to do something. So I took a few blankets out and covered him up. I figured it was the least I could do. I left a little note beside him saying which apartment the blankets were from, in the hopes that he’d fold them and leave them by the door in the morning. Well, the next morning, he was gone, the Doritos were gone, and the blankets were gone. I guess he needed them more than me. That’s okay.

It really made me think, and although it was kind of sad, it has reminded me to be grateful for everything I have. As you crawl into your warm bed tonight, think about everything you’re grateful for. If you’re able to read this post right now, and you’re generally healthy, you’re better off than a lot of people on this planet.

Rather than thinking about how much your job/school sucks, how you wish you had more money/sex/vacation time, instead, focus on gratitude and appreciation. I’ve been doing that, and it has totally turned my outlook around. I remember that I have things to look forward to, and to take pleasure in the simple things like friends and family, a simply cooked meal, or a nice cold beer. I know it sounds cheesy, but work can be much more enjoyable if you go at it with a positive attitude.

Sometimes you just need to put things in perspective.