...or, to put it another way: "If you want to be happy all the time, you have to change often". This is how Confucius put it. This may sound strange at first, but it corresponds exactly with my life experience. Almost without exception, the happiest people around me are those who lead an active, busy life. They are usually particularly committed people and not those who regularly pose with a champagne glass in their hand in a staged, luxurious setting.
There are already similar images in medieval depictions of paradise, or more precisely of what people imagined "paradise" to be at the time: "Well-fed people lying around idly in idealized landscapes with roasted birds flying into their mouths".
For me, this is more of a horror than an ideal worth striving for. Even a desired status becomes boring or even annoying as soon as it becomes permanent. Uniformity produces boredom and therefore dissatisfaction. Contrasts, on the other hand, produce excitement and ultimately quality of life.
After a long, strenuous hike, the final stop at the destination is at least twice as much fun as if you had driven there by car.
A short vacation after a long and demanding period of work is usually also more enjoyable than a long, uniform vacation that follows on from a less challenging daily routine.
Vacations are generally an interesting topic because they offer an unusually high degree of personal freedom. Consciously or subconsciously, we strive for differences in our everyday lives. If it is very stressful, we are more likely to strive for peace and serenity. If everyday life is rather boring and monotonous, an emphatically active vacation is often exactly what is good for you.
On my vacations, I appreciate the great contrast to everyday life. That's why I prefer to fly to warm, sunny regions in the cold, dark winter rather than in summer. There, I indulge in extended dinner conversations with interesting people, long idle dozes on the beach, but also crisp mountain bike tours or long photo tours with extensive camera equipment.
I consciously live differently on vacation. And I really enjoy it. In addition to exciting photos and more fitness, I always bring home lots of new impressions and experiences. On uniform vacations, on the other hand, little is left behind.
And I've noticed something else about myself. I like to take something "new" with me on vacation. A new item of clothing, a new lens or a new book.
I explain it like this: the more traditional items I pack in my vacation luggage, the more everyday life (or everyday life) accompanies me in the new environment.
On the other hand, new meaningful achievements or activities emphasize the contrast to normal life and increase the experience value. Indirectly, this also automatically increases the recreational value.
When I'm on vacation, I usually wear slightly different clothes and even a different watch than usual. One watch that perfectly embodies the vacation theme for me is the NOVA.
"I don't wear a watch at all when I'm on vacation", some people will say.
Of course, that's the most radical change, but "no time at all" would be a little too little time orientation for me. As a rule, I don't need to know the exact time to the minute when I'm on vacation, but a clear estimate of the time of day gives my vacation day a meaningful minimal structure. And NOVA is exactly the right amount of time display for me.
The difference to "ordinary watches" is astounding. The NOVA presents the time of day impressively clearly and intuitively. The time appears virtually as a graphic position in a calmly designed ring window, so the information is minimized and therefore particularly easy and quick to grasp.
Another special feature is that nothing seems to move. There is no visible progression of time - just a point in time within a period of time. For me, every glance at the NOVA conveys an impressive sense of calm and serenity.
3 comments
Hallo Klaus,
ja sehr passend geschrieben eine gute Mischung. Glück und Zufriedenheit ist für vielen Menschen unerreichbar. Dabei ist das Gute so nah, man muss es nur sehen.
Im Alltag sowie im Berufsleben.
LG Nino😉
Ein sehr lesenswerter Beitrag. Ich kann das tatsächlich aus meiner Erfahrung genau so bestätigen. Ein aktives Leben mit hin und wieder einer sinnvollen Veränderung ist eine anstrengende aber wirksame Methode glücklich und zufrieden zu werden und zu bleiben. Die genannten Beispiele kenne ich ebenfalls praktisch eins zu eins aus meinem Leben. Ein interessantes Thema gut be- und geschrieben.
„Das afrikanische Sprichwort „Ihr habt die Uhr, wir haben die Zeit“ gibt sehr anschaulich die Mentalität der Einheimischen wieder…
Ein ewiges Thema " die Zeit". Ihr Text hat mir sehr aus der Seele gesprochen. Im Urlaub habe ich endlich von Melville " Moby Dick" gelesen. So einen Klassiker nehme ich mir jedesmal vor und zehre sehr lange davon.
Keine fast food Literatur , sondern mal wieder originelle Gedanken und Geschichten tanken.
Viele Grüße vom Deister
FH