What the hell am I doing with my life?

Рет қаралды 6,820

7 ай бұрын

The question that pops into my head more often than you might think: what the hell am I doing with my life? Get access to my guide to Paris at go.parisinmypocket.com/aKAAqi and help me make better videos at / jayswanson 🥳
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My name is Jay Swanson - I'm an American writer living in Paris on an artist visa. Paris (yes the one in France) has been my home for years now and I have every intention of staying here for as long as they'll have me. I write science-fiction and fantasy, vlogged daily for 3+ years, and love pizza a little too much. Now I make videos about visiting Paris, traveling in Europe, and try to share what I've learned along the way. I hope you enjoyed what you found.
Links are affiliate links where they can be - meaning if you click through them and buy something, I'll get some pennies. Thanks! (The FTC wants me to tell you that up front)
Patron Producer: Aaron E Carsey
Edited by: moi
Music by: ‪@Dyalla‬

Пікірлер: 96

@acbc3543 6 ай бұрын

I’ve already lost my parents , I’m an only child and I’m childfree . My purpose in life is to be happy because I have no one else other than my dog to care for . I’ve been traveling more and living life a bit happier . I don’t want to die as a bitter person . I’ll cash my check when I turn 100 in 2070 . Cheers from Austin Texas . Claudia

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

I don't want to die a bitter person either - I think that's a noble goal (and involves a good amount of investment in the self)

@valerielawe2178 6 ай бұрын

I am in a similar place, have always loved "childfree" VS. "Child-less." Love the language!

@JourneywithJosh 6 ай бұрын

Child free and an orphan... I have my chosen family tho.

@PokhrajRoy. 6 ай бұрын

Jay is killing it with the titles of these daily vlogs lol

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Working on it 😂

@skiergirl4753 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for your daily deep, wide thoughts! I am feeling stalker-y as I am commenting a lot lately🙃but this videos are resonating with me! I am in a horrid work situation so I have spent the last couple of months prepping to get a certificate that will help me get out/will open so many doors. I have gone through a lot of the same thoughts and processes and I appreciate the company on the journey. I can't run (injury) so I have a rowing machine in my dining room (and, an e-bike and skis), I joined a live French class on YT this morning (wanna improve my spoken French), and worked on my application for the cert. I start working with a new business coach next week (I am excited!). Thanks for the company!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Sounds like you're doing a ton! Keep it up =D And thanks for leaving some comments - keeps the broader conversation alive and interesting. Something I've really missed on here for a bit

@andreaschiltz1915 6 ай бұрын

Did I miss that you were going to do a vlog a day? Either way, loving it! Great content and vlogs as usual. 😊

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@mattsurber8990 6 ай бұрын

Another Great video!

@vanessazannis5523 6 ай бұрын

Happy New Year and congratulations on being that much closer to receiving your French citizenship! You’ve accomplished so much already. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Happy new year!! And you're welcome - thanks for being there to share it too =)

@jcopperud 6 ай бұрын

as the 72 year mum of a 34 year old single man I appreciate listening to you and the candor with which you discuss your inner life. It helps me understand my son a wee bit more. I'm going to encourage him to hop on the JS bandwagon and I hope you resonate with him as much as you resonate with so many others. Keep up the introspection and sharing. cheers!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Glad I could help :) And would love to have your son along for the ride, too!

@sleis418 6 ай бұрын

Health/exercise - my goal is focused on 30 years from now and being able to have a life worth living. Sitting in the gym I literally picture my wife and I enjoying retirement and that gets me through.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Solid image to focus on right there

@RPLstudiocity 6 ай бұрын

Yes. I needed to hear this today. Thanks.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@mikeodil7721 6 ай бұрын

Now there’s a Jay Swanson original title! 😆

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

😂

@ladanmoharer648 6 ай бұрын

Hi, love your vlogs!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Yay! Thank you!

@agyos 6 ай бұрын

Loving these vlogs…and ohhhh, sooooo loving Cooper!!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

He's a cutie to be sure

@michaelolson3351 6 ай бұрын

Another great video Jay! I have been going back to watch a lot of your videos and I am really enjoying your content. I first found your channel when I was researching Paris before my wife and I spent a week there this past summer. We absolutely loved Paris and can’t wait to go back. Your videos were very helpful for exploring Paris but I also really appreciate that you talk about philosophy, self betterment, mental health, and so much more…and I love how coffee is included in almost every video. Haha. Wishing you the best in all your endeavors.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

I need to avoid letting coffee become my personality haha. Thank you so much for the affirmation though - it's really nice to hear. All the best to you too!

@bigreddallas2742 6 ай бұрын

Another good one today. I am a disabled person with one of my illnesses knocking me on my butt, making me bedridden, or recliner ridden(!) every so often, sometimes for months. Keeping to a daily anything is nearly impossible. However, over a few decades l have learned not to let that stop me. I recently came out of a 5 month episode of illness. I am getting on my step machine daily, eating right, taking vitamins, and taking an online French course. My goal? I have tickets and apartments rented in France and Italy for three months starting in April. It is all paid for and l am going!! I am also reading/rereading my home library of history, art etc. of the four cities l am staying in. Blah, blah, blah! Could say more, but this is getting boring. Suffice to say, you are on the right track. Keep going! Never give up, never give in. Just say oops, okay, l'm going back on track. Even if l have to use my wheel chair l will be spending June in Paris. (fyi: l am a 70 y/o female) Good luck!

@joyful8072 6 ай бұрын

Go you. 👏🏼🎊🎉 I love that you keep going despite setbacks. I try to do this as well. There is always something to look forward to if we keep on going. Enjoy your trip. ❤

@bigreddallas2742 6 ай бұрын

@joyful8072 Merci! Your encouragement means a lot to me.

@joyful8072 6 ай бұрын

You're welcome!@@bigreddallas2742

@mommahype 6 ай бұрын

Thank you. Great video. Sage advice for sure. 😊

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@rhambosia1 6 ай бұрын

Wow, another video tomorrow! I feel spoiled, thanks for coming back to daily vlogging Jay! I was a viewer during the pandemic and you helped me so much by showing your life in one of the aspirational places I want to live! Vlogging or not, it's nice to see you thriving!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

I'm glad you're enjoying them!

@Andreas231x 6 ай бұрын

First time commenting.Thank you, Jay. One of my goals in 2022 was to make it to Paris in 2023. I enjoyed the trip before I even made it by watching your videos! Then I did it! It added so much to the anticipatory joy to watch your videos. I often woke for the sunrise, walked, did yoga and then found a vid. Thank you to you and Cooper for helping make my entire year even more fun and rewarding.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to comment! I'm so grateful to known that I could help make a bright spot on your year even brighter. Keep after it in 2024!

@susangalpin4967 6 ай бұрын

Lol! Good job, Coop!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

He knows how to leave his mark 😂

@brendanTaupoNZ 6 ай бұрын

We just arrived in Paris today. I watched your vids on using the metro and got to our motel with no dramas at all. Thanks heaps Jay 👌

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Great to hear!

@amyspeers8012 6 ай бұрын

My husband and I worked out together 6 days a week during the pandemic. Our goal was to be healthier so the next 30 years in our lives would be spent together. My cancer diagnosis completely stopped my schedule. I do feel like my life is on pause as I deal with the treatment and side effects. When I can hardly walk 200 meters to the store, exercise is out. Glad to see Cooper’s tummy is better!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Dealing with that is certainly a more imminent need - I hope that it proves its own worthy investment in that 30 years ahead. Thank you for sharing. As for Cooper, jury's still out but I'm keeping an eye on him haha

@flatironnewyork 6 ай бұрын

I'm loving the short daily vlogs! I feel the same - sometimes, i think: am i just...existing? You have the right attitude, a little everyday (and you do A LOT). BTW thanks for the Noir rec - I'll be in Paris next month and looked up nearest Noir. Happens to be 2 doors down from my hotel ☕

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Thank God for them - they're saturating all the places that were previously snobby-coffee-deserts 👼

@PAWS0810- 6 ай бұрын

good morning from mesa! horrible weather here 32 degrees this morning! ridiculous weather!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

SO COLLLD

@carolbrenner3121 6 ай бұрын

❤❤❤let it snow

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

So close to real snow too haha

@LydiaLeveque-ro3lk 6 ай бұрын

YES! JUST YES!

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

🥂🥂

@ac8907 6 ай бұрын

Funny 👍🏻😂

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

🥂

@skooz86 6 ай бұрын

As far as fitness goals, my goal is just to finish the next work out. Keep that goal and all other fitness goals fall into place; like a "mind the nickels and dimes and the dollars take care of themselves" thing.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

That's a great one. I think focusing on our daily standards is wildly underrated

@lauriecalery8801 6 ай бұрын

Get a pet they say. It will help to relieve stress. I cant even count how many work days started cleaning up messes from both ends! Ack! No.... yes, a horrible way to start a day. And you just cant be mad not the pet's fault. Love the approach of getting started and do small things every day. Thanks Jay!

@genegnome 6 ай бұрын

Well done! Since you are in Paris, it might be a good time for some Camus!!! I would very highly recommend: "Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize." by Sean B. Carroll. The author discussed Camus' philosophy without getting too heavily into it...Sean Carroll does the same thing with the science-stuff (or should I say SHtuff...in honor of Cooper!) by making the science presentable. Anyway, what Camus gets from the story of Sisyphus is always helpful to me when I feel your question sneaking into my brain...

@carolbrenner3121 6 ай бұрын

Outlive by Dr. Attia ❤❤❤

@thistlenstar 6 ай бұрын

Reading two books a week, as you mentioned in a previous video, is also a great piece of the puzzle. We engage with books in a different way than we do with screens, "they happen in a different place" in our minds. That being said, For the past several years, I've been reading mostly books in French. It's not the most practical way of learning a language, my spoken French is still rubbish, but, the literature of a culture seems like a direct line to its spirit. Do you have any favorite works in French to suggest?

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

You're doing far more French reading than I am! It's been a while since I've sat down to read a book in French - beyond news and legal/business documents (which I do NOT recommend) my reading has been in English of late. I think reading a bunch of Moliere in college ruined me for enjoying reading French haha. I'll get back to it though!

@judyt.5702 6 ай бұрын

🎉

@nickpapagiorgio5056 6 ай бұрын

Exactly one year ago I was starting a new career after being jobless for most of the pandemic and I was more than 100 pounds heavier!! This week I found out I got the promotion I put in for a couple Of months ago and I’m 20 pounds from my overall weight goal!!!! And for anyone out there struggling with any motivation I Hve been there many many many times! We’ve all gone thru many ups and downs like you mentioned Jay and what finally gave me the strength and inspiration I really don’t know, I think part of it was just finally doing without thinking so much and analyzing everything. Living in the now and making my goals and aspirations a daily task instead of something long term and too far out to see quick progress. Instead of focusing on losing a hundred pounds I focused on 1 and then 2 pounds a week and worked it from there.

@ADAtrips 6 ай бұрын

I was thinking, you have to run twice as much to move your camera around. Do you use a smaller camera or just use a iPhone? Is cooper still under weather? 🌴🌴Aloha

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

I get a lot of extra mileage for no credit in my running app, it's true ha. As for Coop, not 100% but I think on the mend

@rhuxley5130 6 ай бұрын

I had a drink with a friend who feels like he's a failed pastor. I told him that I am going to Paris and London in the spring, and instead of having a sad lunch ,he decided this afternoon,to say "eff it,let's go to paris and London😂". I think the Swanson -Dale Carnegie videos are gonna raise shit to the next level. Keep it up brotha 🧔🏻👍🏻

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Way to lift his spirits!

@PokhrajRoy. 6 ай бұрын

I know that I’m doing something. Right or wrong is always best observed in hindsight.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

All depends on how we weave the narrative

@PokhrajRoy. 6 ай бұрын

@@JaySwanson Exactly

@lawyerorbaker 6 ай бұрын

We do live the same lives don’t we. I feel purposeless. I have a beautiful healthy amazing family, stable job and struggle every day with emptyness that I atribute to the lack of professional direction. I know many lawyers go through this, I just don’t want to spend another year asking myself the same questions.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Maybe this is the year we can both answer some of these tougher questions (and then move on to the next ones!)

@glennmartin346 6 ай бұрын

Ah, poor little Coop, his ears back while you cleaned the poop 💩. He must have really needed to go. And you sniffing your fingers was hilarious, even though you used a poop bag...humans... we're a funny bunch

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

I trust those poop bags 99% - but still gonna double check 😂 (and there was a lot more hands-on cleaning that had to take place off camera haha)

@vgalinerutkowski 6 ай бұрын

Bonjour la vague de froid

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

C'est bien arrive

@vgalinerutkowski 6 ай бұрын

@@JaySwanson Normalement les hivers sont doux, plus personne est habitué aux froid, ici 😂

@erinmh 6 ай бұрын

lol "do just get all swol??" Also, I'm in Brittany right now ...and yes, IT COLD.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

SO COLD WHY

@mbrolfe7504 6 ай бұрын

Having a pet means dealing the good and the bad. Cleaning up if they are sick is good training for when/if you have kids-or have to help with elder care, friend’s or family serious illnesses. And exercise is a good way to deal with depressing, grey Northern European winters and prevent SAD. (Seasonal affected disorder.)

@gingerdean1521 6 ай бұрын

Ever consider getting Cooper some dog booties?

@gingerdean1521 6 ай бұрын

And a Peach smelling candle kills most odors

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

He hates them haha!

@RH1812 6 ай бұрын

Inertia and wine…🍷

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

Very real things

@oakpope 6 ай бұрын

Do you still write fiction ?

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

OAKPOPE! I think about it a lot, play with scenes and characters in my mind a LOT, but for now I'm focused here. Unlock one thing and the doors to many others become available (at least that's the hope)

@Nubianette 6 ай бұрын

Just my opinion…health and happiness are our birthrights as humans. It’s not related to “deserve”. It’s a strange, possibly puritanical concept.

@JaySwanson 6 ай бұрын

I agree - 'deserve' here isn't meant in a puritanical sense so much as a self-development sense. We're given only what we can handle, so how can I develop into someone that can handle A LOT

@Nubianette 6 ай бұрын

@@JaySwanson I think words matter, and the concept of “deserve” is judgmental. Either internally or externally. Self development only adds to the quality you’re working on. It doesn’t affect the actual high quality and perfection of the beautiful, human soul. Should handling “a lot” be your goal? A lot, can be too much. Working on your creative flow, can help you to produce what you want, and ride with the times you might feel less inspired. It seems it could have been an indication to work on other challenges. Sometimes we get what we need, not what we want. And, that’s ok. It’s a chance to learn and grow. Just some big sisterly chat. 😊