A Day in the Life

Day in the Life videos have taken the social media world by storm.

As a kid who loved the game of basketball, I consumed any athlete’s Day in the Life content I could get my hands on growing up — S/O young Kevin Durant.

Now in my twenties, I find myself falling down the same rabbit hole of Day in the Life videos from personalities I admire. Just me?!

Fun fact, sources project #dayinthelife videos have received over 1 billion views on YouTube!

So, clearly a trend that is here to stay, especially within the Gen Z and Millenial space.

Why do I call this out though?

It’s evident the young professional demographic is looking for a guide in their day-to-day life. A north star. A rule of life. There’s a desire for aim and direction. A desire to produce. A desire to flourish. And there can be a tendency to look for it in others.

Understandably so. It’s hard to uncover. And it doesn’t help that what works for someone else may not work for you. There’s even competing voices in media and life. So on and so forth.

As a fellow twenty-something who desires aim yet relates to the-lack-thereof, I have searched for a rule of life of my own. That search led to pondering this question: In a perfect world given present circumstances, what would a flourishing day in my life look like?

And this is what I gathered —

In a perfect world, a flourishing day in my life today would include:

• Play — Have fun. For me, it’s pickup hoops, dad jokes/memes, a 2 hour dramedy.

• Work — Find gaps in my current role to fill.

• Rest — Sleeeeeeeeeeep!

• Learn — Get in the game, learn by doing. Reflect. Study. Read.

• Move — Make time to exercise, stretch, walk, and/or get outside.

• Commune — Be with people. Laugh. Smile. Encourage.

• Give — Love others. Be generous with time, money, and gifts.

• Create — Create something from nothing. A home-cooked meal, a conversation, a memory, a work process, a passion project.

Now the above is a generalized framework and impossible to achieve every day but if it’s pursued, then I think others-focused flourishing is at play.

It’s key to remember:

• We don’t live in a perfect world — The above is a path for flourishing, but it must be held with an open hand because well, life happens and we’re human.

• This is not a one size fits all approach — What is helpful for me may not be helpful for you and vice versa. Discover what works best for you.

• Routine is not king — Although frameworks may be helpful, they aren’t king and ultimately won’t satisfy our deepest longings for aim. In my faith tradition, God’s Word “is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalms 119:105, NIV). He and His Word are the source of aim and flourishing.

Whether you are Kevin Durant, a YouTube influencer, or a 9-to-5’er, we all desire aim, purpose, and direction. However, it can be helpful to put individual thought muscle into living our own Day in the Life rather than watching someone else’s.

Because who wants to spend valuable moments living another person’s life?

So, today, I encourage you to take 3 minutes to understand what flourishing may look like for you.

Ask yourself, “what would a flourishing day in my life look like?”

Record it. Share it with someone else. Then, put it into action.

Hear this — the young professional life stage doesn’t have to just be a stepping stone to the next season, the new house, the executive title. Flourishing can be discovered here and now. But we must lean in.

And The Yo Pro is in your corner to help you do just that.

If you are looking for practical ways to flourish as a young professional or as someone leading young professionals, consider subscribing to and sharing The Yo Pro with 1 click to the link below. Copy + paste the link to share to LinkedIn, group texts, emails.

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