26/09/2022
If you sit with your thoughts for a while as an observer, you will notice two things. The first is that doubt will seep in somewhere. The second is that a desire will emerge. The mind rarely sits still. It collects information from the past and projects it onto the future, often giving rise to anxiety and tension in the present, for which we seek pleasure as a fix. Just being in our heads for a few moments is quite difficult, even if nothing chaotic is happening directly in front of us.
Now, add in all the current external noise of the world, and the mind becomes an extremely difficult place to navigate. If you think about it, everything you've achieved until this point in your life is pretty epic, because you've always had to face the narratives in your mind. These ideas have promoted doubt and called for more – like what you've already attained isn't good enough. Having your own mind knock your confidence can be debilitating – it's a wonder how you've gotten this far!
But that's just your mind. As I said, there's the external stuff too. The daily hustle as a means to your survival. There's a lot you've gone through physically and perhaps big things you're facing right now. There are things no one knows about. Thoughts you've never shared. Experiences you'd rather forget. You've had your fair share of struggles. Nevertheless, you're still here to tell your story.
We're in this constant cycle of pleasure fading and desire emerging – as the former happens, we seek a replacement for what was lost. Please do not forget how far you've come as you look for the next thing. We often delay celebrating ourselves properly until some point in the future which never arrives because as we make progress, we pursue a new destination. And this continues throughout our lifetime, perhaps because we're conditioned to believe that happiness can never be where we are. As a result, we never really arrive at happiness and success; we just keep chasing it.
ctto: Vex King
