Life is not a roller coaster, it is an amusement park

It is not a surprise when we have ups and downs. That’s what makes our life. We also know what drives these ups and downs. It’s our decisions and actions in addition to some of the uncontrollable factors. But again, how we deal with these factors is up to us.

Another way to look at life is like entering an amusement park. You buy a ticket (your birth) with a deadline when the park shuts (your death) and then which rides you want to take part in is your decision. We all make different decisions. Some love to wait in the queue for the same ride again and again because that’s what makes them happy. While others prefer to experience as many rides as possible so that they know they are not missing out or they don’t want to exit at the end of the day thinking there may have been some more rides that they don’t even know how they feel.

One way is to look from outside and decide whether you want to jump into that one. Other way is to go per the recommendation of others and then directly seek that one. There are many more like deciding based on how long the queue is to enter. It must be really good that’s why so many people are waiting. But is that true? Maybe not. Else the amusement park would just have many of those rides and not different ones. In general, the idea of the park is to cater to different needs. It knows that people have different preferences. It knows that no single ride will satisfy all of us. That’s why the world has so many options when it comes to the way you want to live life. It was built over thousands of years with various experiences. Following the crowd may not always be the right way to do.

We can decide to go after money or family or love or friends or career or fame or travel or power etc. etc. as the main source of happiness. But it may be more fulfilling if we have experienced all of them or at least tried our hand at most of them, before deciding which one we enjoy the most.

Start walking in the amusement park in no particular sequence. Notice from outside if we like any, if we do, jump in the queue and experience it, come out and not wait in the same queue but look for another one, experience it and so on. Doesn’t have to be the longest queue. Just the ones that attract us and makes us inquisitive. Even better if it is slightly different from what we have experienced previously. Best when it could challenge us in some ways. Once we have gone through most of them or the ones that spoke to us, starts the process of elimination. Which are the ones that we want to go back to again. Did we skip any that we should have experienced or will think about while leaving the amusement park? Best to leave some time in hand to be able to answer these questions and be able to go back and enjoy the rides that you loved the most.

That way when we are leaving the amusement park, it will be with a smile and contentment. If you find a partner who is willing to enjoy the same rides or give you some food for thought on which ones to prioritize, you are in for a treat. In any case, you may find partners while waiting in the queue or on the ride itself…

Have a wonderful time!