Do you ever think about yourself as an average guy, stuck in a boring life, with an average job and with no perspectives for a better future?
I do. I did. Often.
But then there are moments, like today, when I sit down and reflect.
Right now I’m on the shore of the north sea, in one of the most beautiful places in Scotland, after a very successful spearfishing session. I was diving on one breath, to the bottom of the sea, to hunt for the fish. Tomorrow I’m going to bbq that fish and eat it with my wife, in my garden, in Edinburgh.
I squint my eyes and just like that, I’m back 20 years, to my tinny 1 bedroom apartment in Nowa Huta, a rough district of Krakow, Poland.
It’s Saturday night, the summer of 2002. My parents are already sleeping in their room, we can hear my dad snoring, and my brother and I are watching TV, on a tiny 14inch screen, in our little room.
I lay on the mat on the floor, our room is too small to fit in another bed. The he discovery channel is on and the host has just announced he has arrived in Scotland.
If at this particular moment my 20 years version could look in the future, and see a glimpse of my 40 years old version life, he would not believe his eyes.
This would be too far from normal, from housing project, from street hassle. I’m my wildest dreams I would not imagine my life taking this turn.
From a poor student living with his parents, owning nothing and hoping to become a teacher in one of the local schools to a fitness club owner on the other side of Europe, an entrepreneur, husband, and world traveller, who starts believing that nothing is impossible.
Tonight our van is parked so close to the water that I can hear crabs turning the stones. Our bedroom, the back of the van, is even smaller than the bedroom in Krakow. But my horizons are now wide open.
So are yours.
Just open your eyes and
appreciate things you’ve accomplished so far, be proud of your achievements, and stop comparing to others. You only have one life, and if you don’t like it at this moment, change it. The universe is on your side, you just need to help it a little bit.
