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It’s easy to take the simple things for granted. But what happens when the pandemic changes everything and those simple things become mentally and emotionally exhausting? Suddenly, your ambitions seem a lot less attainable. But it’s important to remember that our simple ambitions and joys are still within reach.
One of the nicest parts of losing things is recognising you had them in the first place. It may seem to be obvious, but it is not. Life is far deeper than we usually see it, and I mean that in every aspect. Life is all about perspective, and we are creatures of habit; we don’t always recognise what we’re doing, and we often act on autopilot.
How many times have you gone to work without really thinking about where you were or what route you were taking, or how many times have you been lost in your thoughts on the way home?
When reading The Alchemist, I came across one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned. I’m going to synthesize it here but I recommend reading this book so MUCH.
There was this young boy, and he went for a chat with the wisest guy in the world. The wise man lived in an amazing castle with all sorts of beautiful and expensive things, and there was this big line, of course, to talk to him.
Finally getting to speak with the old sage after waiting for hours, the young lad was given a spoonful of oil and told to go around the king’s castle and return without spilling a drop. Once the kid returned an hour later, the wise man inquired, “Did you see the wonderful garden?
Awe-inspiring, didn’t you see the scenery? Are they the people you saw being so nice? Evidently, the boy was too preoccupied with keeping the oil from spilling to notice.
And the wise man said: “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”
If you read what I’m going to list here you will realize that you are much richer than you think, and you will be instantly happier and more grateful for being who you are.
Do yourself a favor and enjoy your real life; do not dread what you lost or what you might not have. Depression is excess of past and anxiety is excess of future. Here are some things you may take for granted every day, but that are worth celebrating.
1. Landscape
One thing that I NEVER WASTE is a new view. I used to live just by the side of the most important museum and park in the history of Brazil, and I crossed it more than 5 thousand times in my life walking home during all my elementary and high school days.
It was just another day going home, but every day I could see people coming from Japan, Europe, China and so many other places just to see it once.
Another example is walking with my dog in my old neighborhood – nothing special, right? Now that I don’t have it I realize how hard and long it will be to conquer affording living there again.
Now I miss simply opening my window in the morning and staring at that beautiful and crazy city of São Paulo.
2. Food
Often I used to complain that I had to eat every 3 hours sweet potatos and chicken because I used to body build. I would do anything to afford eating that again every three hours, but I can’t afford to eat the same quantity I used to.
It’s not for the taste, but what you have today, you might not tomorrow. If I wanted a pizza I would just buy one, now I can only do it once a month to save money.
Well at least I can afford a pizza, do you realize how many people never even ate one?
There was a time I couldn’t afford to eat more than once a day or every other day; I’m telling you, please, be grateful for what you can eat, you don’t even have to like it, but at least there is something to eat.
You do not want to learn this lesson wearing those shoes, trust me.
3. People
You always think that those “wise quotes” don’t apply to you, but trust me, you are not that special. Everybody has “friends” until they can’t afford seeing them or hanging around with them.
It’s easy to have friends when you can afford it.
Even your special best friend might not be that special; people are self-centered by essence. Pure and true altruism is not the rule, and being excessively loyal, like me, will only make you suffer.
Learn how to enjoy people in their most essential and fundamental role in your life. People come and go, friends, co-workers, girlfriends and even family.
Every single person is a totally new perspective on life – learn from it, try to suck the knowledge dry of every single source.
Everybody has a lesson to give and that’s why they are in your life, you attracted what you NEED not what you WANT.
And mostly, never love something so much that you cannot let it go.
4. Hobbies
I don’t know what your thing is, but mine was martial arts, body building, airsoft and racing motorcycles. I used to practice them religiously, never skipped a practice and to be honest I was always very grateful for all of them because it cost me so much to afford all that, and took me so many years to conquer it.
It made me happy, it made me a better person and a happier person.
Now I lost it all, I simply can’t do any of those things, and it’s been almost 2 years already. God knows how much I miss it.
If you have a hobby or something you enjoy, try to really appreciate how it makes you feel. It could be as simple as gardening or cooking, or extravagant as traveling the world to find rare birds – the most important thing is that it brings you joy.
5. Freedom
I think that’s the most important one and also the most forgotten one.
You are always free; right now you can quit your horrible job, you can move out, change your style, break up your broken relationship, change your life.
People get stagnated, I don’t really know why.
Nowadays everybody behaves like a herd of sheep, adopting common goals, common dreams and living an average life.
Fear is a primitive thing that was meant to keep us alive in very extreme situations; now it makes us stuck in our “safe” ordinary job, in our ordinary suburbs, in our ordinary lifes.
After millions of years of evolution we are the top of the food chain. We are the wolves, we should behave like it.
6. Yourself
I could write an article twice as long just for this topic, but the point is YOU ARE ALIVE.
That in itself is a pure miracle, one that we overlook more than any other.
I could keep writing a lot of stuff for you, but there are just 2 sentences that you have to live by to achieve anything.
The first one is: You already have everything you need to do anything.
And the second one is: DO IT.
Everybody has problems, obstacles, failures, death, sadness and so on. Life is about keeping going, learning, evolving.
Life doesn’t get easier, we just get better. Remember, nobody loves you like you do, so prove it; start right now being who you wanna be.
