Significant life experiences and personal impact

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Something that Impacted My Life From time to time, we all encounter life-changing events. While some of these events are pleasant, others could be painful or unpleasant. It would be prudent to note that some of the said events actually end up shaping our perspectives and viewpoints about life. One specific event that had an everlasting impact on my life was watching Sam Berns on Ted Talk. Sam, who suffered from an extremely rare condition called progeria, died at age 18. In basic terms, the condition causes a child’s body to age extremely fast. A significant percentage of those suffering from this rare condition die before celebrating their 13th birthday. Sam was, however, special. Despite having this rare condition, Sam projected a very jovial and pleasant personality. At the time of giving the talk dubbed My Philosophy for a Happy Life, Sam was only aged 17. In this particular talk, Sam pointed out that there are three basic tenets that an individual ought to follow for a fulfilling and happy life. To begin with, he pointed out that it would be pointless to focus on things that one cannot do. In his opinion, one would rather focus on those things that are doable and possible. This is important as in some instances, we encounter challenges that we cannot be able to solve at present. Wasting valuable time worrying about such things would be ridiculous. Instead, it would be more productive to apportion our efforts on those tasks that we can handle effectively at the present moment. In essence, this serves as a great stress relief strategy. Secondly, Sam was of the opinion that the relevance of surrounding oneself with people that are amazing cannot be overstated. Whenever we spend time with persons who uplift our spirits, we are left feeling upbeat about life and this enhances not only our contentment, but also satisfaction about life. It would be pointless to spend time with persons that do not add value or are negative about life. Lastly, for a happy life, Sam advised that one ought to embrace a state of mind that is forward-thinking. One should focus on the next thing. This is especially true because focusing on lost opportunities or things that did not go as planned is likely to be counterproductive as it keeps one from more effective and perhaps better alternatives or courses of action. An example that would be appropriate on this front is that of a fresh graduate who applies for a job of his or her dreams and ends up being rejected. If the said individual lets this specific event stress him and/or keep him from applying for another position, he could miss out on more rewarding opportunities and his life could end up being miserable. In the final analysis, it is important to note that the purpose of life is to be happy. It would be pointless, in my opinion, to live a long but sad life. It would be a life wasted. In that regard, therefore, we ought to ensure that all our decisions and courses of action enhance our happiness and, thus, wellbeing. Sam Berns’ Ted Talk appearance was an amazing endorsement of this perspective. Thanks to the said talk, I would say that my whole perspective of life was changed. I was truly positively impacted.