How Going to Las Vegas Changed My View on Life

Have you ever felt like you blinked and 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years of your life flashed forward?

If you have kids, doesn’t it feel like time is moving faster than usual, too? I have a fifteen-year-old daughter, and you can’t convince me that time doesn’t move faster if you have children.

The older we get, the more things like time and life fulfillment take over our thinking.

The friends we haven’t talked to in years. The things we wanted to do but kept putting off and never did. The dreams we had when we were younger that we never chased.

I recently returned from a yearly “guys” trip to Las Vegas that I’ve been making with friends since 2018. This year, we randomly ran into an old college friend we hadn’t seen or talked to in nearly 20 years.

During my flight home and a few days after, I thought a lot about my life and what’s important to me to feel fulfilled. This self-reflection led me to realizations about how to shift from living a life on cruise control to feeling more fulfilled.

Having a well-rounded life

Whether you love your job or not, what else do you have outside of work? Do you just come home, eat, fire up Netflix, and go to bed?

I sometimes fall into that rut, too. We all need some downtime from time to time. But turn it into a habit, and life will pass you by, and emptiness will creep in.

Find some hobbies or find what interests you and pursue them.

What are you doing with your family time if you have a family? Same things over and over again?

Switch it up. Go on little adventures. It doesn’t have to be something outlandish, but try something new. Make a memory.

Can you take time away from work and completely disconnect?

I used to be one of those who always lugged my work computer with me wherever I went. I always had to be “available.” I didn’t want to burden co-workers, and I didn’t think they could manage without me.

Then I took a 10-day trip out of the country and couldn’t bring any work-related things due to company regulations. I was expecting to come back to a nightmare. Instead, everything was okay. The company didn’t fail. Life and work kept moving just fine.

Now, I no longer take work with me when I vacation. Give it a try if you don’t already.

Importance of friendships

We all know friendships’ role in our happiness, well-being, and emotional health. We don’t think about the effort they take to build and maintain as we get older.

It’s natural for our friendships to change as we get older. Friends move away for jobs or other things. We get married and start families.

It’s common to realize you haven’t talked to a friend in months or maybe years. Communication is so accessible now; pick up the phone or fire off a text message.

Gardens don’t grow without fertile soil. As you grow older, you’ll have to fertilize and nurture your friendships more than when you were younger. It’s worth it.

My yearly guy’s trip to Vegas is a reminder of this. No matter how long it’s been since we talked, we can pick up where we left off. Yes, we do reminisce about the good old days. But we also talk about the current state of things in our lives.

We'd like to offer advice and support for what we are trying to accomplish.

Surrounding yourself with people who support you and have your back is essential. And as you age, that circle will shrink. You have to cultivate what you have.

Try to stay in touch, whether it’s a semi-regular call or even a meetup for a drink or whatever. It’s essential, especially if you are married or in a relationship. Yes, I’ll say it. You and your partner should have friends you can do things with outside of your relationship.

Going after what you want

I think about this question a lot: What is worse, regretting not trying something or suffering a setback from trying and not succeeding?

On the one hand, if you don’t try something you want to do, you can’t fail, so you are protecting yourself. I get it.

On the other hand, trying something and failing is just giving you information on achieving what you want differently.

Are you a slave to a job you don’t like? Is there something else you’d instead do but you’re too scared to try? One of the good things about having a steady job is that you can try things on the side and have a safety blanket.

You must be good at time management but can do both things.

Building something part-time without wanting to let go of your full-time job is fine, too. The beauty is that you get to decide what you want to do. But you have to choose.

Not making a decision is still making a decision.

Eventually, time will run out, and the regret you feel from not trying will be a lot worse than any fear of failure you have. Just remember that whatever you choose, time and life will continue.

So do that thing. Take that trip. Start that side hustle. Ask that person out. Apply for that new job. Whatever it is, please do it. You have nothing to lose.

Be present

Our attention is constantly pulled in so many different directions.

Cell phones might be one of the greatest and worst inventions ever. You see people locked into their phones everywhere you go — even groups of friends and families out for a meal.

Being present might be the key to everything.

Being present in what you do at any moment is one quick way to increase your happiness. Give your full attention to your partner, children, friends, work tasks, hobbies, or whatever you are working on.

Being present is how you reach the “flow state” you hear people discussing. Put your phone and any possible distractions away.

I’m guilty of being on my phone too much sometimes, too. But everything becomes more rewarding and fulfilling when fully present.

The same goes for work. When you’re at work, focus on work. Then leave your work at work when you aren’t. Don’t let it roll over into your social life, causing you anxiety.

Fully engage in whatever activity you are partaking in. Compare how you feel afterward to how you feel when you don’t. You will notice a difference.

You know you’re getting older when a guy’s trip to Las Vegas turns into a reflection on life lessons. And those life lessons have nothing to do with bad decisions made in Las Vegas.

As you age, it’s natural to think about what you have done and are doing with your life. If you don’t feel fulfilled, you aren’t alone. The term mid-life crisis exists for a reason.

The beauty of life is that if you aren’t happy, you can decide to change your approach at any time. It’s just up to you to make the decision.