Why? – Gratitude…

Why do we try so hard?

What is the use of it all?

Why do we do anything?

I’ve been pondering this for a while now… thinking, who are we trying to impress, is there a part of you that drives you to move forward? To achieve more? To become more. To get up in the morning, make a plan and follow through with it…?

There’s no one that is going to pat you on the back for having done what you’re expected to do. In this life, all it comes down to is expectations.

You are expected to go to school, get a job, work through till retirement, and live out your years with either whatever you have been able to save in your Superannuation (Aus) 401K (US), or live on the pension from the government.

I remember having been to my 30-year High School Reunion a few years back, and I remember speaking to a guy named Andrew. See with most people, you stated what you’ve got what you’ve accomplished and so on. You see I had the gorgeous house in a cute little Suburb in Sydney, had a great job, the wife, the 3 kids, life was amazing, and that’s the way it looked to the outside world. But you see Andrew was like, that’s great, I’m renting, not married, no kids, but I’m happy.

While I was miserable without even knowing it. It looked like a fairy tale but was full of resentment, pain, and sadness all because of expectation. I think Andrew had some inside info on life that I didn’t yet know, because 5 years down the line, I’m now in the same boat as Andrew – While I still have my 3 boys, I’m no longer married, I no longer have a gorgeous house in a cute little Suburb in Sydney.

I was back to where I started, and you know what? I feel so amazing and right now I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that I am happy!!!

I am now doing what I love for a living, which is helping people in a modality that I have always dreamt of mastering in Hypnotherapy, and I am now with the woman that I am meant to be with, as well as 4 of her 5 kids, and we are doing great. It all comes down to gratitude!

I am now grateful for what I have, who I have, and where I am in life. You see I think Andrew was trying to tell me something at that Reunion, and It’s taken me a while to learn this lesson.

I’ve learned to be grateful for everything that I have, grateful for the people that are in my life, grateful for the lessons that I have learned in my journey, I am grateful for my age, and am no longer fearing getting older, I am grateful for every wrinkle, every grey hair and grateful for the wisdom that I’ve gained as well as what is to come on this journey.

You can have every material possession in this world that you think will make you happy, you can go on all of the holidays, you can own all of the houses, own all of the amazing cars, but in the end, is it really making you happy or is it leaving a feeling of not having enough and trying to fill that void with things. Things that you don’t need, but you think make you look like you have gone further, achieved more, or done better than everyone else, while all you’re doing is competing with yourself.

You will never win. Love life, be grateful.