When I was a young adult, I thought success would be always striving for something new.
More money.
More accomplishments.
More recognition.
I thought as long as I kept going from one milestone to another, I would eventually be happy.
As life has its way of opening one's eyes.
The more I mature, the more I realize that peace is equally important, if not more so, than success.
I still have aspirations.
I still want to better myself.
Nothing has changed.
However, I see life through different eyes now.
I learned that having a clear mind is invaluable.
Being able to sleep without analyzing every aspect of my life is invaluable.
Sitting with loved ones in silence is invaluable.
None of those experiences can be captured in a photo on Instagram.
No one will post a picture from an idyllic night and call it an accomplishment.
But, in my opinion, they are some of the greatest aspects of life.
There was a period when I felt bad for being unproductive.
I thought I needed to keep working all the time.
Now I know that relaxing and resting is not being a lazy bum.
Sometimes this is exactly what we need to keep advancing further.
Also, I stopped comparing myself to others.
Somebody always has more money than I have.
Somebody always achieves something faster than me.
If I constantly dwell on the things I lack, I'll never be grateful for the things I already have.
It does not mean that I stopped being ambitious.
It means that I try not to sacrifice my peace for the sake of things which won't bring me happiness anyway.
Life is not about getting to the peak.
Life is also about enjoying the path leading us there.
In general, I do not believe I will remember every milestone and goal I accomplished.
But I am sure that I will remember every conversation that made me smile.
Every calm morning.
Every person who supported me.
And every moment of total inner peace.
And this is the kind of life I would like to build for myself.
💙 Thank you for reading! What brings you peace these days? Please share in the comments section below.
