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Today, unlike in other posts, I want to share with you something that I wrote in October of 2018, during my first month of work in my previous job. I was living in Copenhagen at that time, and I had just graduated from my Masters and started this new job, that I no longer do.
Many of the things that I share in this letter that I wrote, no longer apply. Like the facts of where I'm sitting or what's happening in my life. But the philosophy that I embodied and the core message, those - still apply.
This letter is particularly special because while I was writing it, I knew that one day, I would read it back and everything would make sense. So here we are, more than 2 years later, making sense of it. And guess what? The letter does make sense. And that's why today, I want to share it with you. So here it goes.
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Here I am, 6:00 pm, sitting at a coffee shop in Kongens Nytorv, one of the many beautiful places that you'll find in Copenhagen. I remember sitting at a similar coffee shop almost exactly 1 year ago, saying to myself, ''I want to stay in this city, badly''.
At that time, I was sitting in front of my laptop looking for a part-time job that would allow me to finish my studies abroad, and looking for a company that would take me in, to do my Master thesis.
That bittersweet feeling
I remember having this bittersweet feeling caused by, loving the road that my life had led me through until that moment, while at the same time, hating my economic situation. I remember thinking to myself, ''I wish I could be sitting in this coffee shop, simply reflecting and writing. Simply putting my thoughts and feelings on paper. Just releasing. Just enjoying everything that I am feeling. I wish I didn’t have to spend hours applying for jobs that I don’t want to do, and begging a company that I know nothing about, to take me in''.
So this is what I chose
At the same time, I remember slowing breathing in and out, and deciding that my current situation was perfect. That I was exactly where I was supposed to be. That whatever I was going through, however hard it felt, was teaching me what I would need on the next stage. I remember choosing to focus on the positive things. On everything that I had. On everything that I had achieved. On everything that I was able to do. On everything that I was able to feel.
Nothing seems real anymore
I find it hard to separate everything that I was feeling that day and everything that I'm feeling today. I close my eyes, and I can easily transport myself to that moment. The intensity of the memory is so strong, that I have to make an extra effort to realise that that moment no longer exists.
All the problems that I was facing at that time have faded away, giving rise to new ones. Noticing this makes me realise how temporary everything is. It seems like nothing is real. Not even this moment. Because one day, I will close my eyes and look back at today. At the problems that I'm facing in this very moment. I'll look back and I will miss everything that I don’t realise today that I should be grateful for.
I'm not letting that happen
So, no. I won’t let that happen. I will be grateful today. Today, I am not sitting bored in some random coffee shop, numbing myself while scrolling through social media, focusing on everything that I don’t have. Today, I get to sit at this beautiful coffee shop, in the middle of one of my favourite cities in the world, and put my thoughts on paper. Today, I get to enjoy music, I get to sit here listening to James Blunt on my headphones, and I get to focus on how in love I am with this moment. Today I get to enjoy music, I get to enjoy writing, I get to love this moment, because it is absolutely perfect.
Today, I am in love with the fact that I can breathe with my perfectly working lungs. Today, I get to realise how lucky I am to be able to look around me and appreciate the beauty in everything that exists, simply because I have eyes that work. Today I get to be happy because my beautiful body woke me up in the morning and took me to work. Today I get to be absurdly happy because I have a bicycle in the city of bicycles. I get to be happy because every day, at 6:30 am I wake up in Copenhagen, with perfect health, and get ready to embrace a new day. I get ready to face whatever there is to face, and learn whatever there is to learn.
I'm not going to feel miserable
I don’t get to feel miserable because I have to wake up too early. I get to feel happy because I can wake up that early. Because I got the job that I wanted. I don’t get to complain because it’s too cold, windy or rainy, and I have to bike to work. I get to be happy because I have a freaking cool bike that allows me to see beautiful Copenhagen every morning, while going to work. I don’t get to feel miserable because the first weeks of work are hard, and because it feels like everyone is smarter than me. Instead, I get to have all these super smart people around me, which means that I have the opportunity to learn and grow so much. I get to challenge my ego and to trigger my insecurities, to break free from them. Today, I don’t get to complain because I am leaving work late too many times. Instead, I get to be grateful because there is so much that I am learning, and so many people willing to teach me and help me grow. Today, I don’t get to complain because I am basically money-less and in debt with all my family. I get to celebrate that I will soon pay them back, everything that they’ve given me so that I can be where I am today. I don’t get to complain because I don’t feel like going to the gym. I get to be freaking happy that I am able to exercise my body. Today I choose to honour it and reward it with as many healthy habits as I can.
A million things could tear me apart
There are a million things that could tear me apart. Instead, today, I choose to notice what I would usually notice when it’s too late. I choose to be happy because I am alive. Because opportunities are endless. Because there is growth in every experience. Because life works for me.
The life philosophy that will change everything for you
Today, I choose to embrace the life philosophy that has worked best for me: Every minute of the day, choose your focus. What you focus on, is the only thing that exists.
Your focus will separate an awesome day from a crappy one. Your focus will allow you to fall, stand up, and win, as opposed to staying on the ground. Your focus will define you as a learner, instead of a loser.
Your focus will define you as a brave and courageous person, or it will define you as a growth quitter. You can quit many things; you can quit actions, places, people. That’s ok. That’s necessary. But never quit growing. Because growth is life, and as soon as you quit growth, you quit life, even if your body is alive. Every minute of the day, choose your focus. Perspective is your best friend.
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