The Art of Being Alive
By Amy Andersen, Founder and CEO of Linx Dating
There is a question I’ve been asking myself lately, and it’s deceptively simple. Am I living my life, or am I simply existing in it?
I’ve spent more than two decades building a business centered around one of the most profound human experiences: love. I’ve witnessed extraordinary success, heartbreaking disappointment, beautiful beginnings and unexpected endings. And through my own journey, I’ve come to appreciate something that no amount of professional success can teach you.
A full calendar doesn’t necessarily mean a full life.
The Courage to Begin
When I started Linx, I didn’t have an elaborate business plan or a beautiful office. I had a vision. I operated out of a Starbucks in San Francisco. No business cards. No website. Just a relentless belief that I could build something extraordinary.
I remember driving home exhausted, eating a burrito in my car and wondering whether everything I was working toward would materialize. And then I’d wake up and do it all over again.
Those years were difficult. They were also some of the most meaningful years of my life. I was living with intention. Every day had purpose. Looking back, I realize that the magic wasn’t waiting for me at the finish line. It was happening during the journey.
Success Is Not the Destination
There’s an interesting phenomenon that happens when you achieve things you once thought were impossible. The goalposts move. You accomplish something extraordinary, celebrate briefly, and immediately start pursuing the next milestone.
But at what point do we stop long enough to enjoy the beautiful lives we’re creating?
I’ve learned that ambition and presence must coexist. I want to build extraordinary things. I also want to take long walks, laugh uncontrollably, drink beautiful coffee, listen to incredible music and spend time with people who make me feel alive. I refuse to believe we must sacrifice one for the other.
Love Is a Verb
Perhaps my greatest education has come from spending my career studying human connection. We all want to be loved. But how many of us are courageous enough to love without constantly protecting ourselves from the possibility of disappointment? To be vulnerable. To express affection. To communicate our needs. To show up authentically.
Love isn’t simply about finding another person. It’s also about cultivating a relationship with your own life.
It’s about choosing people who expand your world rather than diminish it. People who celebrate your ambition, appreciate your tenderness and remind you to laugh when life becomes impossibly serious. People who make you feel more like yourself.
Reinvention Is a Beautiful Thing
One of the most liberating realizations I’ve had is that we are allowed to reinvent ourselves. We can change direction. We can outgrow old dreams. We can acknowledge that something we once wanted desperately no longer aligns with the person we’ve become. We can begin again.
There is enormous freedom in understanding that your past may have shaped you, but it doesn’t have to dictate your future. Carry the wisdom. Release the weight.
Make Your Life a Love Story
Not simply a romantic love story. A love story with your own existence.
Fall in love with discovering new places. With meaningful work. With movement and music. With the people who show up for you. With the person you’re becoming.
Be ambitious enough to pursue extraordinary things and wise enough to recognize extraordinary moments hiding inside ordinary days. Take chances. Make mistakes. Forgive. Learn. Love again.
Because one day, the meetings will end. The deadlines will disappear. The achievements will become memories. And what will remain are the moments when we felt most alive.
Don’t spend your entire life building a life you forget to live.
