Appreciate when the waves are calm

I like to look at life like an ocean. Some days the waves are calm, some days the waves are choppy, other days the waves are enormous and will wipe you out.

For much of my life, I never really appreciated how calm the waves around me were. Life has been very good to me. I’ve lived in pretty peaceful seas.

Over the last year however, I’ve been through a lot of things that have taken me through a whirlwind of emotions. I shut down my company, started a new job, went through a breakup, stopped talking to my one of my older brothers, and largely been asking myself a lot of longer term questions about what the hell I want out of life.

Needless to say, the oceans have been a lot more choppy this year. Waves of emotion have overwhelmed me on several occasions. There have been times where I sit down to meditate and my body is swirling with feelings I have never felt before. It’s been both scary, overwhelming, and exciting all the same.

These experiences have taught me to appreciate when the waves are calm. To appreciate the days when I sit down to meditate and have nothing to worry about, nothing on my mind. To be grateful for the times in my life when there are no serious problems causing turbulent waves.

It’s made me appreciate when the waters are calm – because when the storms of life come your way you’ll be clutching onto the boat for dear life. 

As we grow older, we’re naturally going to face more problems in life. Take time to appreciate the days when you don’t have any serious problems. Take time to be grateful for the fact that nothing is wrong. 

When was the last time you appreciated a normal, regular, boring, routine, day?

When was the last time you simply said, “shit, today nothing happened! Wow, I’m so grateful to live a calm and peaceful life.”

Dale Carnegie famously said “Most of us worry about the 10% that’s wrong with our lives instead of the 90% that is perfect.”

This is one of those moments to appreciate the 90%. To remember that, most likely, everything is going to be OK. You’re exactly where you need to be and you are already the best version of yourself.

This week I challenge you to reflect on the things that you take for granted in life. Try to identify a part of your life you overlooked and think about how different your life would be if this no longer was a part of your existence.

Remember that if you have food to eat, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, a job that pays you money, and people to share these experiences with, you have literally everything you need in life. The rest is a bonus.

Appreciate. Be grateful. Smile 🙂

Also published on Medium.