Pay Attention to These 4 Things and You'll Be Happier Than A Laughing Baby
Southwest Airlines didn't ruin my holiday, I did
Southwest airlines fucked me over.
Christmas had ended. I desperately wanted to put 3,000 miles between me, my hometown, and my family. I needed to get the hell out of Toledo.
It was time to return to my youthful, carefree life in Austin.
But because of Southwest’s scheduling software that hadn’t been updated since the 90s, I was stuck in cold, miserable old Toledo, Ohio—perhaps the most forgotten town on the planet.
Southwest canceled my flight, and there was no telling when I would find another. I wrote an angry letter asking for a new flight and a refund.
I got mean.
I threw a fit.
My anxiety was at an all-time high.
And the conclusion to this mess?
Nothing really.
Southwest found a flight 15 hours after the originally scheduled flight and sent 25,000 points to my account.
Nothing changed except I didn’t spend quality time with my family because I was too upset about the whole situation.
I got back to Austin, put down my bags, and realized. Southwest didn’t ruin the Holidays.
I had.
The pursuit of more isn’t going anywhere.
While I waited for Southwest to get their shit together, I acted like I didn’t want to be with my family.
Why?
Anxiety and FOMO had taken hold of me.
I feared missing my writing routine for a few days.
I feared missing out on opportunities to make money.
I feared missing time with my new friends.
Basically, missing more of what I already had.
The guilt trip sat in when I returned to Austin, and I knew I had made a mistake.
Here’s the insight:
We live in a capitalistic society built on FOMO. More, isn’t going anywhere, but your parents, your family, won’t be there forever.
There’s nothing wrong with ambition, but don’t let it overshadow the invaluable areas of your life.
4 invaluable things you should pay attention to.
I’m reminded of an episode I had in 2014.
I was studying abroad in Paris and had a week-long mental meltdown over a big presentation. I had to give a speech about the cultural differences between East and West Berlin during perestroika (or something like that).
I stressed about this stupid presentation for days. I wanted to appear intelligent in front of my classmates, who were all honor students at elite schools like Cornell, Wake Forest, and Ithaca College.
Here I was, a division III golfer from Ohio Wesleyan University. I wanted to be more in their eyes. Or at least make the appearance like I was more.
It was like Emily in Paris – a young egomaniac on the verge of a nervous breakdown in the most beautiful city in the world.
It’s moments like these that the universe sends you a reminder to wake the fuck up.
One night, I returned to my host family’s apartment after another miserable day. I crashed on my bed, and my American roommate Cody stormed into the bedroom.
“Cal, listen to this. This might be the funniest thing ever.”
We walked over to the kitchen door where, on the other side, our host mother, Aude, was throwing a dinner party.
Cody and I put our ears to the door. We listened as about eight middle-aged French women laughed hysterically while drinking wine and passing cheese plates.
What were they laughing about?
Well, this wasn’t a normal dinner party. It was a dinner honoring the name Aude. You got that right. Everyone at the table had the name, Aude.
“Can you please pass the wine, Aude?” One would say.
“Oui, Aude. Thank you, Aude. How about passing the cheese this way, Aude?”
They were cracking each other up for what felt like 3 hours with Aude jokes.
Only in France.
As Cody and I laughed our asses off.
All of a sudden, the presentation didn’t seem as important.
That was a powerful insight.
We can drive ourselves crazy chasing things we think mean something—power, money, prestige. We give them value because they’re rare and fleeting.
Yet we take these 4 invaluable things for granted.
Comradery is invaluable.
Relationships are invaluable.
Family is invaluable.
Love is invaluable.
Pay attention to these things the most.
Everything else should be subject to review.
Loved this article! Spot on my friend.