Appreciation post.

How often do you reflect on your life and everything you've accomplished so far? It doesn't necessarily need to be anything huge, no. You've somehow made it to wherever are now, and how does that feel? I don't know about you, but every now and then, I try to take a step back and just remind myself that I am actually really proud of what I've accomplished in life so far. Could things be better? Of course. Things can always be better. More money, more freedom, better job, etc., etc., but when you stop thinking about what could be better and focus on where you are now, what sort of person have you become, that puts things into perspective. At least it does for me.

I guess as people, as humans, we always find someone who we can compare ourselves to. Thanks (not really) to social media this is even more of a thing nowadays. I mean, I follow a bunch of super talented artists, illustrators, painters and people in the art world and yes, they are absolutely crushing it. Some of them have been doing this for many years, others have a crazy talent for certain things and that's totally cool. I am just getting there (hopefully). Be it a creative field, sports, traveling or whatever you might be into, the fact that you're putting an effort into learning something new, trying to move through life as smoothly as possible is something to be proud of. I honestly feel that we don't give ourselves enough credit sometimes. And don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about being super selfish and feeding your own ego, no. It's more about appreciating what you've achieved so far, where you are at now.

Let's forget about the "it could be better" idea for a bit. The job you have - you've earned it. The relationships you have - you've earned it. The skills that you have - it's all you. No one really gets anywhere without putting themselves out there or stepping outside of that "comfort zone". We're all just trying to do our best while navigating this often confusing and turbulent thing called life. There's no secret sauce, no master book that will tell you how to live your life. We're trying to make the best decisions that we can, trying to be good human beings and trying to find a healthy balance between everything that we have going on in our own little worlds.

When you really think about it, life is pretty damn good. Again, things could always be better, but they could always be a lot worse too. There's plenty of bad things happening in the world and it's incredibly unfortunate, but since you are where you are, try and be happy. Appreciate the little things. Appreciate the little moments that often seem meaningless. That first sip of coffee, that first "good morning", that smile that a stranger gives you. It's a beautiful thing. Learning to slow down in life is not easy, but it's definitely worth trying.

Most importantly, please remind yourself how proud you actually are for getting this far in life. This is all because of who you are as a person, your values and your beliefs. Now, go on get yourself a treat. You deserved it!

Sincerely,

Vinny The Guy