Life Has No Instruction Manual
August 10, 2009 
29 Comments
Saturday night I actually did something that was a first for me. At this point in my life, there aren’t that many firsts anymore.
There is actually one first that scares the crap out of me, which is having a little rug rat running around. Saturday’s first wasn’t that one, although it was related to that.
No, I didn’t get my girlfriend pregnant. So what was it? We went to a co-ed baby shower.
I just never knew how fun baby showers can be. You play games guessing the date and time of the baby’s birth along with it’s born along with it’s weight at birth.
I don’t know what you win. I mean, do you get to change the baby’s diaper for a while or something? Going to a co-ed baby shower, though, was a first for me. After going to a baby shower, I decided I think they should be left as women-only functions.
Lucky for us, we couldn’t find a seat at any of the ‘cool people’ tables (kind of like at a wedding). So we had to create our own table. When we did, we had the benefit of sitting with the mother-to-be’s Uncle Hal.
Have you ever met someone in life who reconfirms the exact thing you were talking about three hours earlier? Not only that, they actually take the message deeper with you?
I’m not sure in what you guys believe, but I’ve always believed that if you need to learn or experience something that the Universe will deliver it to you. Some people call that God.
I don’t know exactly what I believe when it comes to God. Personally, I think there needs to be a committee, because when you look at individual leaders they tend to not do such a great job.
Faith, though, is very important to people. The human spirit wants to believe in things. I have never criticized anyone’s religious beliefs.
Keep in mind that life has no instruction manual. I always believe in trying things over and over and over again until you get them right. Then once you do get them right, you realize that there is no right or wrong . . . there’s just experience showing you what works for you.
So today, I want to leave you with something about which to think. I know that some of you need a little extra inspiration on a Monday.
I want you to think about what the following statement means to you, and I want to thank Uncle Hal for sharing it with me. Here it is:
“LIVING YOUR LIFE IS A VERY DIFFICULT TASK.
IN FACT, IT HAS NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED BEFORE.”
How does this make you feel?
What does it make you think?
How does it resonate with some of the things you’re trying to accomplish in your life that utterly frustrate you?
Have a killer Monday!
I see it as a message to start living in the now. It is so easy to to forget our lives when we are learning something new and we start living in the past and present. This applies in so many different areas.
I’ll give one example that’s related to dating and relationships, in particular a huge mistake that men make. They first hear about learning to “pickup women” (like a barbell David
) and so they put their focus on that area of their life. They begin focusing either on the past (what they used to do wrong) or the future (what might happen :S). They lose the ability to live fully in the present both when they are in a situation that directly applies to what they are learning and when they are simply driving their car to work. Everything becomes “when i get this I will…” “If only i could get this handled I will”.
I’m not advising against improving yourself, I believe it’s the one thing you should never stop doing. But I don’t advise against sacrificing living your life in order to get some of those techniques you’ve just learnt perfect. You’ll get there as you said simply by trying things over and over until you get them right
Hey David. After reading your title and what Uncle Hal had to say, I combined them. I believe that life does have an instruction manual, just not your life. Nobody has lived your life before, nobody has been in your exact same situations. Similar situations can give you an idea of how to deal with it but how will you deal with it? Thx David.
You can’t plan spontaneity
some reason that quote seems dark to me, i don’t life is too difficult to live.
To me, it means that its inevitable that there are going to be failures, struggles, and a long list of things you would do differently if given the chance.
Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. But coming to terms with that could be a very powerful thing.
In my opinion-
we have our struggles in life to get to the path of light, nothing will come to us for free, there is always a price.
Steve- i also agree that life does have instruction Manuel that’s
what all the self help books are full of people describing their way of success, but wont feel success until we face our own fears, and overcome them by constant battles.
Darian- what you mean by “you can’t plan spontaneity?”
I totally agree that only way we learn and get where we truly want is trying over and over- great advice today David!
Baby showers are fun and you always find a way for a blog love your creativity David!
Hi Julia- long time no chat how are you doing?
And about today’s blog- this makes me really ponder I think the messages is life is not too easy as it might seem, you better get started soon if you want increase your chances of succeeding.
We don’t have all the time in the world.
Thanks for asking Steve.
I am working late here, so just got the chance to peek into David’s blog:)
how are you doing dear?
Doing good thanks! wow seems like long day at work for you.
yes long day indeed!
I was jus having a convo wit some of my coworkers about religon and I agree wit u completly. We humans need to have somthing to believe in, something to help us live life, an explation for our exsistance. Something or someone mustve put us here. U don’t see wild animals praying and questioning their exsistance. They jus live n try to survive. I think we humans make everything 2 complictated.
Nice one Uncle Hal
In response to the message, if it has never been attempted before then we should be the first ones to try.
A very nice insight to start off my Tuesday. Ties in very well with another life lesson I’ve been struggling with: enjoying the moment rather than being frustrated that I’m not at the finish line yet.
Talia–so well put! I think it’s so common these days to want the finish line fast…the instant gratification. It’s so great when you are able to slow down, savor each moment and pay attention to the ways to get to that finish line. It makes you appreciate the finish line even more when you are able to do that.:)
To me it means… you basically cannot fail! Because in order to fail, you need to be able to compare with somebody who did not fail. Since this task has never been tried by anyone else before, no comparison is possible.
I agree with Lance. Life may be tough at times, but I’d rather not dwell on such thoughts.
“LIVING YOUR LIFE IS A VERY DIFFICULT TASK.
IN FACT, IT HAS NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED BEFORE.”
However, billions of people before us achieved similar tasks with varying degrees of success
As for God – well, God created and designed everything and God is in everything, but to say any more than this is vanity because as Spinoza said, “if triangles had a god, their god would be three-sided”.
God created everything but we are so infinitely privileged because we are the only ones that we know of with a consciousness that can perceive God’s infinitely beautiful and fascinating creation. I get a sense of wonder just thinking about it.
We only have ONE shot. ONE SHOT at life. This is why I’m giving it my all. I’m throwing myself in at the deep end, because fear is pointless in the face of that knowledge.
I’m trying to live out day by day my own answer to the question – “how will your life be remembered?”
And yes, life has no instruction manual, and it’s scary but also just amazingly exciting. We only have our experience, and we have each other’s experiences. I could describe my whole philosophy of living, meaning and morality which stems from our experiences and our relationships with otheres (it’s my massive “F*CK YOU” answer to nihilism)…but I will spare the reader
I will only say that a truly deep connection with a partner based on shared trust and experiences is one of the greatest bringers of meaning and happiness a man can bring, so David, thanks for your work in helping people to make their one shot at life count
Thanks to David and Uncle Hal, for putting yet another dosage of perspective for our inner digestion. That phrase actually makes me feel empowered to accomplish everything I want. I could bore you with the specifics, but most of it can be resumed with a line from the great Billy Connolly:
“Life for me is great. I’m a very fuckin’ wealthy person, I’m married to a very beautiful woman and I get laid with monotonous regularity.”
Seriously deep for conversation at a baby shower which is usually “doesn’t she just glow.”
It’s interesting that Uncle Hal said that living your life is a difficult task.
See… I don’t see as living my life as a difficult task. I see living my life as an important task. Living is only as difficult as you make it. But what makes it important is whether you make use of your life to create a masterpiece or not.
I don’t know if any of you guys ever read “Orbitting the Giant Hairball” by Gordon McKenzie or not but the last chapter is beautiful. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but I highly recommend reading it.
To Khiem – not disagreeing but how do you think life is important?
To Khiem – not disagreeing but just wanting to know how you think life is important?
I think life is important because it’s a gift. I feel most people take living for granted. They forget to appreciate the things they have and as such, they take their own life for granted. They whine and complain about the smallest things…
But when you realize that life is a gift… because you have the opportunity to really do whatever you want, whatever your heart feels… then you realize that your own life is pretty important.
You have so much inner power to influence things and people around you… but most people don’t realize it.