Live Vicariously Through Yourself

Imagine you watched your life from a distance and saw the things you do when you look at everyone else— the people that you live vicariously through.

People living their wildest dreams, committing to their highest happiness, or crying through an Ayahuasca ceremony. People at the top of major start-ups, hustling angel investments, or making millions. People traveling the world, dancing with strangers, or sipping scotch as if they were tasting it for the last time.

What comes up for you when you read *the above?

Go ahead, reread them. This note will be here.

Sit with what comes up in you.

How are you?

Does your breath change? Is your breathing more shallow? Do you feel anything in your right hip? What images come to mind? Can you see yourself doing any of the above? Do you want to do them? What do you want to do? More importantly, if you want to live your dream, how will you get there? And, what’s more, have you considered what’s holding you back?

Who are you?

What do you see when you look at your life? What do you see when you look to the past? Name one small thing you are proud of. Write it down. See it. And what are you curious about for your future? Do you want to be everything you see in others, or do you want something else?

Where are you?

Is your life just getting started? Are you mid-way through your life?

What if I said the most expensive thing in life is regret?

And what if you live to 100— what percentage of life have you lived so far, and what percentage do you have to look forward to? In my case, I get 64% more to live. More to explore. More space to fill my good memory bank. There is always space. How?

• Focus on living.
• Make every life action count.
• Don’t just put energy into what you're doing; put good energy into it, too.

Perhaps, starting now, or when we can reemerge back into the world, after this pandemic, we’ll start seeing the world as a clean slate, adding more things to our lives that we love and want to do — and start living vicariously through, well, yourself.

This is your moment.

With love,

Elise

*Add your dreams and experiences in the comments and feel free to share what comes up for you when you think about the things you want. Or don’t.

Elise Kayfetz, MSc is a Toronto-based writer, yogi, habit visionary. Kayfetz is an OPC Psychotherapy Candidate, 2025, with a special interest in grief and end-of-life (yes, death).