Have you ever heard of old people who are strong, healthy, wake up early every day to go to work, act full of energy, play with their grandkids every weekend... you get the drill. But if their partner is already deceased, once they retire from their job, their life starts going downhill, they stop having energy and drive, maybe even will and, out of nowhere, six months after retiring, they die.

I know this might hit too close to home for some of you reading but bear with me, I know how it feels to lose someone to these circumstances and I understand how you may feel.

I did some research and one of the theories of why this happens is simple: People die because they feel they stopped having a meaning in life. We slowly - or rapidly - start to decay when we feel that our purpose on this world is over. As humans we need a permanent focus point driving us forward and when we lose it/them, we feel lost.

You know how some people tell you don´t base your life around this person or don´t let your life circle around your job? Well, I don´t know if they tell you this because they know the psychological burden of depending on one entity to have a will to live, or if they simply know by experience that it is not healthy nor wise to put all our eggs in one basket but one thing I´m sure about:

We need purpose in life. We crave meaning. Short, middle and long term goals are necessary for us in order to feel complete.

A few days ago I was on a beach in the Mayan Riviera thinking about life and my purpose in this world.

I met again people I met for the first time 2 years ago and it made me happy, I felt at home again. The problem was, I was not the same person anymore.

All the short and middle term goals I set myself, I reached them. Every single one of them, I conquered and might even say I obliterated them. But to be honest, two years ago I didn´t set long term goals for myself because I never thought I would fulfill all these short/middle term desires.

Yep, that´s how I never expected to fulfill my goals in two years, I thought it would take me more time and that in the meanting I would find out what my long term plans are, which to this day, I have no idea what they are despite I've been thinking about them for at least a decade now.

So there I was, in the middle of paradise drinking a beer, having a great conversation with the ocean on my feet and my only thought was.

What now?

Right now I have only one short term quarrels in my mind: Getting @steemonboarding to work perfectly alongside @coruscate and everyone else on the team. Apart from that, a few days ago I crossed the last item on my middle term to-do list.

I feel satisfied, I thought it would take me 5 years to get everything done and it took me a bit longer than two years. Fairly good.

But I need more goals, I need a new purpose, I need to keep growing.

It'll come. It's actually already coming to mind after the past week thinking most of the day about it. Not that you care - or you might do -, but I'll keep you posted.

Do you know what is my favorite phrase and I've been saying it for years now?

My greatest adventure is yet to come

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This post was originally posted in December 2018 and it's part of my initiative called showcase April, where I'll post the best content I've done over the past three years.