Drowning in Noise
It's easier to consume the lives and successes of others than to forge our own path.
As time passes, the years seem to accelerate, leaving me feeling as though I’m barely holding on. The life I have lived in the past five years feels like what I used to experience in one. The days rush over me like the ebb and flow of the tide, barely making track marks before another week is washed away.
I blink and it’s Monday. Not ready to face it all again. Where has all the time gone? Do we all feel that this 9-to-5 routine, or some variation of it, was not meant for us? It seems to be the same cycle we have dreadfully accepted as our fate—the dreaded 9-to-5.
I suppose that’s why we are here—on this platform. Trying to escape this life through whatever hole we can squeeze ourselves through.
Yet, it doesn’t seem to be working lately. There are so many distractions. Were they deliberately designed this way? To confine us to our 9-to-5 cages. To make us too exhausted to make changes. To challenge the norm. To rebel against the system.
How can I escape this cage? Like a moth to a flame, we are mesmerised by the screen.
I feel as though I’m stuck in consumer mode; this isn’t just about material things, but also about my online consumption—creative consumption. I find myself unable to produce or feel motivated, yet I’m drowning in inspiration. Drowning in others’ successes. Why don’t I cook like that, work out like that, create art like that, travel like that?
I immerse myself in online content, pinning this, creating boards for that, downloading this, subscribing to that, all in the pursuit of inspiration. However, it seems to have the opposite effect: my productivity remains stagnant. Maybe I discover a new recipe, but that often seems to be the extent of it. Out of the hundreds of recipes I consume, I physically maybe consume one.
Where is all this online time going? What is the outcome? I claim it’s for inspiration, for motivation. Yet, where is my creative thought, my original thought? Do I still have those? Have I perhaps lost my ability for creative and independent thinking?
I aspire to be a business owner, a creator, a hustler, a traveller, a good parent—but I haven’t yet embarked on the journey of parenthood. I find myself stuck in "how to" mode, unable to transition into "doing" mode. I want to be "that girl", that person so badly, but I’m not taking any action to become her.
There are all these steps, diets, and fads, but deep down, we know what needs to be done. Yet, here we are, hoping for an easier way; after all, it’s easier to consume other people’s lives and watch them succeed, than to do it ourselves.
Have I allocated time for self-improvement? Have I set limits on my consumption habits? Have I established a routine for exercise and productivity? Or have I simply indulged in voyeuristic consumption, fantasising about a life I’ve yet to create and calling it "inspiration" or "motivation"?
Despite being aware of the necessary steps, I find myself clinging to hopes of an easier path, opting to consume the lives of others rather than forging my own. The truth is, remaining idle in bed while there’s still daylight isn’t going to get me anywhere. Am I going to make the effort, or am I content sitting here in my bed, consuming all this noise?
Thanks for reading, I hope this post resonated with you in someway. If you are interested in more posts like this make sure you subscribe so we can see each other again, would love to have you along for the ride
Sontag ♥️
