Things can only get better…

Below the veranda cars and motorbikes zoomed between the buses, the sea was calm and the sun’s rays were warm. I felt the wind gently kiss my cheek, smelled the saltiness in the air, saw the crystal display on the oceans surface and heard the bustle of a city that was alive beneath me. Taking a deep breath, I thanked God I was alive.

How often do I thank him for simply breathing? It seems that on most times I speak to him, I’m either apologising for something I did wrong, asking for help or praying on someone else’s behalf. Today I wanted to say something to him, something important and all I could think of was to thank him for the moment that I could spend there by myself, and watch the world go by.

I believe that every soul born onto this planet should be on self-improvement mission. We make mistakes, we learn and we do better… it is the process of evolution. However many people seem to be under the impression that evolution is the material gains that one acquires throughout the years. A new car, a new house, a new job, maybe even a new girlfriend… it seems that there is always room for something bigger and better than what we already have. I am no one to argue against this but I believe that the bigger challenge is to actually want what you already have.

Happiness is such a short lived moment that at times like these when my soul is in total peace, I’m afraid to say it aloud hence should something come and ruin it. This doesn’t mean I don’t have problems… Some might even go insane with the things I still have to do and resolve but it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the good things in my life. Why can’t we feel good about life even when things aren’t all going right? How frustrating it would be if there all were… we would end off with nothing to do or improve! I’ve never met anyone whose life was exactly the way they wanted it. It seems there is always room for change or improvement. I try to learn from the people who can whistle and smile despite the bumpy road they’re walking. I believe it takes a whole lot more courage to sing in the rain than to sing in on stage.

These amazing people who can see the advantage of having a flat tyre during a journey, are the ones who teach us to count our blessings. They believe that not always getting what you want can be a stroke of good luck, that you have everything you need to be happy and that if God doesn’t lighten your load, he will strengthen your back.

The whole day through, I hear people whine. They complain that they’re underpaid and not valued. Some lament about how other people don’t behave they way they want them to and many feel that their talents are going to waste. It’s hard to find a positive connotation in any of the conversations I hear throughout the day and if you don’t watch yourself, you eventually find yourself lamenting along with them.

I too am underpaid and unappreciated but I’m thankful I have a job and that I have the capacity to fight for my dreams. I plead guilty for often also wishing circumstances were different but looking back I realise that some of the best times of my live were times in which I didn’t even realise I was that happy. This encourages me make the most of what I’m living now so that in future I don’t regret the time I spent sad or worried. Worrying is one of the most fruitless and time consuming things a human being can do.

“How can you always be smiling all of the damn time?!”…

Well… if you don’t get if after everything I just wrote, I feel sorry for the people who have to live in the shadow of your self-pity. If I choose to be happy, motivated and positive, it’s because I think choosing a negative emotion is a waste of time and that I deserve better. No one is going to rescue you and give you all that you want. You can be sure that getting a bigger and better car will not make you any happier for longer than seconds if you don’t appreciate the one you already have. It’s okay to sit on your pity pot every now and then… just remember to flush when you’re done.