If my journey over the past year has taught me anything, it's to be grateful for what you have, rather than wasting energy worrying about the things you feel you lack. I think, to a degree, we are all quick to criticise, both ourselves, our lives & of course, others. Filling our time obsessing over the things we don't have, perhaps things that others possess & feeling as though we are incomplete in some way.
I felt as though, in the past, I spent a lot of my time wasting energy worrying or obsessing over all of my faults, all the things I felt myself & my life lacked. However, speaking with people during my travels, people from varying backgrounds & countries, has really helped to give me perspective. It's made me realise that perhaps happiness is not obtainable through striving for a particular thing, such as a house, a car, a career, etc. but perhaps happiness is obtainable more so from the appreciation of what you already possess.
I've come to realise that when I look back at my life, I have been exceptionally privileged, even perhaps when I thought I was deprived. I hate to think of all the times I've complained, or felt incomplete in some way, because I didn't have this, or I hadn't had that. When I look at the world, I see it with new eyes. They are open & they do not shy away. They see the suffering & they see the joy that can come from the smallest of things. They have a new perspective.
Currently, I have no fixed income, no car, no home, very few possessions, but, I have people around me who support & love me unconditionally & with open hearts, I've been able to travel the globe & experience new cultures, take in new views, I have my health, my freedom, a roof over my head, food in my belly & clothes on my back. Regardless of all the things I do not possess, all the things I seemingly lack, I am happy & I am content & most importantly, I am grateful.
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