Serenity, Success and Sacrifices

by Katherine Reilly

All too often, we find ourselves lost in our thoughts, pondering who we are and what our role in life is. Some deal with this by setting goals; the endless pursuit of professional success, at the cost of happiness. Others try to compensate by indulging into false satisfactions of joy; be it shopping, a celebrity status in social media or even by pursuing universal notions of social acceptance via marriage and having kids. The question though we should be asking ourselves is, what do we want in our lives and what are we willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it?

The most horrible misconception people have when it comes down to ‘living’ is the path they choose to accomplish this. Hard work, education, self-promotion are instruments which are all too often used as a means to an end – one’s survival in today’s demanding society. While earning a living is of course of the utmost importance, overdoing it can lead to burn out, depression and the endless pursuit of false happiness. There is a saying most of you know all too well; “Do we live to work, or do we work to live?”

Thus, the question remains, ‘Where do we draw the line?’ What most fail to comprehend is how essential our own mental health is; how content we are at work and what our state of mind is at the end of the day. Peace of mind – serenity – is something very few individuals experience. Those few who do, however, have followed a way of life that would frighten most people today – dedication to their own selves.

Finding a true balance between work and devotion to one’s own person, is in itself a challenge, but not an unfeasible one. It all comes down to what each and every one of us is willing to ‘sacrifice’. Do we really need to work the extra hours to further our careers? Why not devote some time to our loved ones? How many of us have neglected our beloved pastimes only to realize that the world is advancing, with or without us?

If you think about it, we only live once and more than often we forget that – only to realize it when it’s just too late. Experiencing the tranquility all of us yearn for, can be achieved – as long as we set our priorities straight in life.

Wish you all the best,

Katherine