You’re going to die one day

Learning how to focus and prioritize your thoughts effectively—how to pick and choose what matters to you and what does not matter to you based on finely honed personal values.

“Be content with what you have rather than chasing something you don't because you’re going to die one day"

All the positive and happy self-help stuff we hear all the time on Instagram—is actually fixating on what you lack. For instance, you envy someone else money because you feel you don’t have enough money already. You stand in front of the mirror saying that you’re beautiful because you feel as though you’re not beautiful already. Ironically, this fixation on the positive—on what’s better, what’s superior—only serves to remind us over and over again of what we are not, of what we lack, of what we should have been but failed to be. And that's the reason why most of us in today's world are unhappy with our lives.

A rich woman doesn’t feel a need to convince anybody that she’s rich. Either you are or you are not. And if you’re dreaming of something all the time, then you’re reinforcing the same unconscious reality over and over: that you are not that.

Now here’s the problem: Our society today, through hey-look-my-life-is-cooler-than-yours on Instagram, has bred a whole generation of people who believe that having this not-so-cool life is totally not okay. I mean, if you look at your Instagram feed, every other person is having great fun. Look, that friend of mine got the latest iPhone this week! And some got luxury staycations in the Maldives for Diwali. Meanwhile, you’re stuck at home flossing your spouse. And you can’t help but think your life sucks even more than you thought. But now? Now if you feel like shit for even five minutes, you’re bombarded with 350 images of people totally happy and having amazing lives, and it’s impossible to not feel like there’s something wrong with you. The point that I am trying to convey here is that by the grace of God we have so many blessings showered upon us already that now we don’t even appreciate them. Because there’s an infinite amount of things we can now see or know, there are also an infinite number of ways we can discover that we don’t measure up, that we’re not good enough, and that things aren’t as great as they could be. And this rips us apart inside. Because here’s the thing that’s wrong with all of the “How to Be Happy” concept that’s been shared eight million times on Instagram in the past few years—here’s what nobody realizes about all of this crap.

The more you desperately want to be rich, the more poor and unworthy you feel, regardless of how much money you actually make. The more you desperately want to be good-looking and desired, the uglier you come to see yourself, regardless of your actual physical appearance. The more you desperately want to be happy and loved, the lonelier and more afraid you become, irrespective of those who surround you.

Be content with what you have rather than chasing something you don't because you’re going to die one day. I know that’s kind of obvious, but I just wanted to remind you in case you’d forgotten. You and everyone you know are going to be dead soon. And in the short amount of time between here and there, you have a limited amount of time to stop and realize that each day is a new life given to you by the almighty and you can do wonders, just realize it, my friend. Very few, in fact. And if you go around checking about everything and everyone without conscious thought or choice—well, then you’re going to get bankrupt, at least emotionally if not by money.

Because when we believe that it’s not okay for things to suck sometimes, then we unconsciously start blaming ourselves. We start to feel as though something is inherently wrong with us, which drives us to do all sorts of unnecessary things which is absolutely not required. No matter what you do, life is comprised of failures, losses, regrets, and even death. Because once you become comfortable with all the problems that life throws at you, you become invincible. After all, the only way to overcome pain is to first learn how to bear it.

what I’m talking about here is essentially learning how to focus and prioritize your thoughts effectively—how to pick and choose what matters to you and what does not matter to you based on finely honed personal values. This is incredibly difficult. It takes a lifetime of practice and discipline to achieve. And you will regularly fail. But it is perhaps the most worthy struggle one can undertake in one’s life. It is perhaps the only struggle in one’s life. Because when you keep on checking those Instagram reels you will feel that you’re perpetually entitled to be comfortable and happy at all times, that everything is supposed to be just exactly the way you want it to be. This is a sickness. And it will eat you alive.

Appreciate what you have, love & respect people and the world will be yours.

Much love and God bless! 😇