When you are enjoying a particular moment in life, let it be alone or with friends, think to yourself, this is as good as it gets. There's no higher point in life you need to chase after. This is the pinnacle of life.

This thought is quite comforting. In the default mode of operating, we are constantly chasing after something. This reminder gives me a relief and reminds me that life is already at its best here and now.

We all have the tendency to focus on the next thing we want to achieve. But if you happen to be enjoying this moment, it's worth to take a pause and enjoy it to the fullest.

A few questions then arise. How can we have more of these moments in life? Can we enjoy every moment? What about forgoing our striving towards goals/achievements?

@taimurabdaal thinks of the striving/goal-chasing part might just be like passing time. Since you can't having dinners with friends all the time. you need other things to do. (ofc, being able to also enjoy that part is even better.)

This resonates with how I recently think of life. We need goals to structure and give meaning to our day to day lives. But what make life worth living are moments that seem trivial but bring us smiles. Moments that make us think "if this isn't nice, I don't know what is."

I first heard of this line "if this isn't nice, I don't know what is." from Ali Abdaal. Upon further digging, it originates from Kurt Vonnegut:

"But I had a good uncle, my late Uncle Alex. He was my father’s kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life-insurance salesman in Indianapolis. He was well-read and wise. And his principal complaint about other human beings was that they so seldom noticed it when they were happy. So when we were drinking lemonade under an apple tree in the summer, say, and talking lazily about this and that, almost buzzing like honeybees, Uncle Alex would suddenly interrupt the agreeable blather to exclaim, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

So I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids. And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.""

Source:

• Not Overthinking - Social In teractions - Comfort, Messaging and Life Enjoyment, around time stamp 35:00.
  • "This is it, man. This is as good as it gets. There's no more to see after this."
  • "The default mode of operation is you are seeking something, you are striving for something." "Having fun with your friends it really is as good as it gets. "
• Ali Abdaal: 15 Lessons that Improved My Life
• This Kurt Vonnegut Quote Completely Changed The Way I Approach The Idea Of "Happiness"