You don't have to live optimally

Something I am recently learning as I get older, is that nobody really has life "figured out". It's not a game to win or a race to run.

I've noticed that generations that have had a large part of their lives on the modern internet (such as mine, Gen Z) seem to have a sense of inadequacy that develops from knowing the most optimal way to do everything. We can easily look up the most optimal lifestyles or the most optimal way to do a task/accomplish something. We have it taught and performed in front us daily.

I think this causes a feeling of "why bother" for people because we may not have the time, money, or other resources necessary to do things optimally. Take exercise, for example. Nowadays, we can look up the 'TOP 20 BEST EXERCISES TO GET WICKED ABS' or 'THE BEST DIET FOR GETTING THAT SUMMER BODY' and see everything that goes into that. We realize we cannot do things this way for one reason or another, and just say "Screw it, who cares? I'll never be able to be as fit as them with what I have, so why bother?"

When this kind of thinking is applied to every aspect of human life, it's easy to see why so many young people just roll over and give up. They see perfection and think that's the standard. 

I'm here to tell you, as I'm learning this concept myself, that you don't have to live perfectly like you see some people do online. Start that art project or book you've been writing. Get started on improving your wellbeing. Try that new hobby that looks so interesting to you. It doesn't matter if you don't do it as well as the people you see online, what matters is that you improved or enriched your life - even if it was the tiniest improvement or not-the-most-satisfying thing you've ever done. The point is you're living life instead of trying to mimic others' lives!

You don't have to live optimally. You just have to live well.