The number of unhappy people, borderline depressed, is increasing at a fast rate year after year in modern society. And even though I could absolutely write a book about all the reasons, I am a firm believer that lacking the judgment to appreciate the positive in your own life is a huge one.
We forget every day to be grateful for what we are and for what we have. Instead, and courtesy of social media inciting it, we focus on others and what they pretend to be and what they pretend to have.
We see a bunch of random people online making millions of dollars by displaying a persona that it is not them, that provoke controversy, and in most cases just act injudiciously and borderline moronic to satisfy an audience that has increasingly grown almost immune to knowledge and common sense.
We see these random people bragging about their expensive cars and huge mansions. We see men with many different women and women traveling all over the world, taking pictures in many different angles to display a “perfect” body and we make the colossal mistake of comparing it to our own lives and it is there where the root of most of your unhappiness lies. I do understand that as human beings, we may never be satisfied. We will aways want more of a good thing. Instinctively, we are greedy. A double edge sword of the human character.
We need to learn to be able to be ambitious but also be grateful for where we are and what we have in the present moment. Because, if you are not grateful for the small things, the ones that truly enrich your life, then you will never be truly happy.
Stop comparing yourself to others and just compare yourself to your old self.
Be happy for the improvement you see day after day, month after month, year after year.
Be grateful.
As I get older, I notice that I tend to remember my childhood often.
There is a plethora of reasons for our brains to go back in time and get a dose of nostalgia for longing simpler times. But I do it for more than that. I had a great childhood, and I am thankful for my upbringing and all those that were part of the journey. From the bullies to the great friends. From my mischievousness to the scolding and beatings from grandma and aunts. From the house not having part of a roof and a floor made of dirt to the great imperfect family that I have. I am thankful for everything. And if I was ablet to be reborn, I would pick the same family with the same home and the same friends.
I grew up with so little that I had so much. And I was very happy.
As I grow older, I understand better what is important in life.
Just ten years ago, my goal was to become rich, wealthy… a millionaire. And even though I was grinding 24/7, 365, I lost a lot of time I could spend with family and friends. Time that I will not, ever, be able to make up. It is gone. In retrospective, I could have balanced my life better, because even though I am better than I was ten years ago. I am not rich, wealthy or a millionaire. But I did miss birthdays of family and friends, I missed precious time that will not come back for looking for the wrong definition of rich and wealthy. Money comes and goes. But time is a bitch that runs only forward. Time is the currency that is best invested with loved ones. Making memories that enrich your life.
Today, I keep grinding with the same goal in mind but in a different way. I appreciate even more the little things. I appreciate the air and the land. I appreciate the animals and the random characters that make my book of life more interesting. I appreciate every single family member, even the ones I do not like. They helped build my character as well. I appreciate my wife and the small things she does for me. As small as passing me a towel in the bathroom when my distracted self-did not check and none was hanging on the wall. The niece that lives with us and I see her more as a daughter. And the time I spend with my little Luna “buna” is priceless. Her smile and her puckered eyebrows. Her random noises and her tiny feet.
I treasure the talks with my father. His wisdom is beyond my comprehension. I have a dedicated place in a corner of my heart for the Sunday mornings with my mother enjoying a rich cup of coffee and conversating sometimes about her religious views and my atheism.
Today, I do not get stressed if I don’t write a page of my new book, or if I do not draw a page of my new children's book. Today, I relax more and enjoy more. Because happiness does not come from one place. It does not come entirely from money, or doing what you love. It does not come solely from appreciating the big or small things. Happiness is also a bitch that is sporadic. And this is why you need to thrive to become a master at managing your time to do a little of everything you appreciate. It is a hard task, but it is possible. I have found that balance and I will not let it go. My happy moments are more often than not. And that is a true blessing from the cosmos.
If there is something to take with you from the verbose of this blog is to be grateful for the small things, the ones that truly enrich your life. Be grateful for the journey and your process. Your improvement and your persona. Compare yourself to your old self and to no one else. Only compete with the man/woman in the mirror.
Just be grateful every day and thrive for more without becoming greedy.
Thank you all of you that read this blog. I am not sure how many of you are out there, but I truly appreciate you.
Writing is something that I absolutely love doing.
I write secluced in my office, in my own world. Surrounded by my Dragon Ball Z action figure collectables, the paintings hanging on the walls that my cousin Bamm Bamm Pineda painted, sipping on my whiskey and letting my thoughts take over.
I hope you enjoy these blogs as much as I enjoy writing them.
Have a great and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Enjoy the feast but most importantly enjoy every second with your family. Feel the conversations and reply with passion.
Because if we do not live every moment with passion, why do we even breathe?
Love and much life!
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