In a blink of an eye
I am sitting on the terrace of a coffee shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The temperature on the street is 28 degrees, but the fan that I have by my side sends me a nice breeze that keeps me cool. Around me there are people from different countries of the world having breakfast, chatting and reading the newspaper. I can hear the waiters talking to each other in Thai, with that sharp tone so characteristic, and the noises of the bikes crossing the street mix with that of the artificial waterfall that decorates the garden. My only plan for today is to go to the gym, but except that I do not know what I will do the rest of the day. I have not read for a while, so maybe I'll continue to explore the city and go into a cafe that seems cozy to read some of the books that my readers have recommended to me. Or maybe I spend the afternoon in the hostel drinking a very cold juice while I socialize with Aoi, the owner, and the other guests. The truth is that I do not worry too much, I'll see it on the fly.
Only 3 months ago my life was very different. I lived in Seattle, in a one-room log cabin. It had Ikea furniture, a full kitchen, and a 32-inch Samsung TV. Every morning I would ride in my black Mazda 3 and cross Lake Washington to go to my windowless office on the main campus of Microsoft. In the afternoon I would go home, go to the gym, stay with my friends or my girlfriend, and go to sleep. My life was perfectly structured and each day was an almost exact copy of the previous one. The weekends were the only days that introduced something new in the routine, and the 3 weeks of holidays a year were fantastic but they fell short of all the trips I wanted to make.
The problem was that when I looked to the future I did not like what I saw. I looked exactly the same as then but older, with children, and with a more expensive car and house. I looked stressed, without enough time for my family and my personal projects. I saw myself going to bed every night repentant for having sold my youth in exchange for a comfortable life, instead of having followed my dreams. And since I did not like what I saw, I decided to change it.
In just 15 days I gave up my work, canceled the rental contract, sold all my possessions except 2 suitcases, said goodbye to my friends, left my girlfriend and went back to Spain. 2 and a half months later I landed in Thailand with only one backpack and no return ticket.
Do not stop complaining?
If you feel suffocated by the day to day and do not stop complaining, remember that you can eliminate anything from your life in just a blink of an eye.
• Do not you like where you live? Move in
• Do not you like your work? Resignation.
• Do not you like your relationship? Change it or finish it.
• Do not you like your friends? Meet new people
• Do not like traffic? Go on a bicycle.
Maybe it's not easy. Maybe you do not want to do it. But YOU CAN do it at any time, even today. When you operate from this point of view, you regain your power and control over your life in a sentiment.
Stop complaining. Instead, act or change the way you see the situation.