Let’s Pause

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie

2 weeks ago, I was running late to a physiotherapist appointment after work.

I missed the first bus and then realised I had forgotten the prescription from the doctor, I had to go back home and run to take the bus to my appointment.

I wasn’t in the best mood.

Then I arrived near the hospital, beside Puerta de Toledo, in Madrid.

I looked at the monument, I paused for a second and thought: “Bro, relax. We’re living in Spain!"

I was here, in front of Puerta de Toledo, and I got a big smile on my face.

I mean look at this:

It reminded me of all the reasons why I wanted to move to Madrid and how much a few years ago I was dreaming of living here.

I remember, back then I was in Ireland thinking that living in Madrid would make me (really) happy.

Just like when I was 18, still in France dreaming of speaking English every day and thinking: “I would be so much happier in an English-speaking country”. ?

Or when I was working as a technical advisor at Apple thinking “I would be so much happier as a recruiter”

There’s a healthy dose of pressure to put on ourselves, the one that helps us achieve our goals.

But I realised that this pressure had become unhealthy to me as it was constantly pushing me to think of the future without even taking a step back and realising how far I’ve come.

With January being a synonym for new beginnings for a lot of us and a time to set up goals, it can feel quite pressuring.

I won’t let this affect me anymore.

I’ve achieved goals that I once thought were impossible, I’m 26 and I still have so much time ahead.

Since I chose to pause, I noticed that I am more at peace with myself, feeling lighter.

Don’t get me wrong, I still want to achieve big things and become the best version of myself. ?

But I want to focus more on the journey and enjoy where I am.

I invite you to pause too.

Look back at everything you’ve achieved, professionally and personally. ??

Imagine the 5-years younger version of you. What would they think?

Don’t you feel a bit lighter already?

Thank you so much for reading me and take care.

Damien

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