There Is Nothing Wrong with the World

A few weeks ago, I read an outstanding book: How to Find Peace. Peace is definitely something I’m still looking for. If you are curious, I wrote a review about it in another post. In short, the author claims that all turmoil comes from inside of us. In order to take advantage of this philosophy, you need to accept everything that happens in your life.

Anything.

Not so easy, is it?

Well, it dawned on me this very morning: it’s easy. You need just a bit (in my case, a couple of years) of training in changing what’s wrong with your perspective.

Because, in reality, there is nothing wrong with the world.

Enlightenment

How have I come to this realization?

I commute to work by train. I wake up every working day at an ungodly hour like 4 or 5 a.m., I do my morning routine, and I go to the train platform which happens to be located next to a small forest. I don’t like my job. “Hate” is too strong of a word; I just don’t enjoy it very much. I enjoyed it even less once I discovered the joy of writing and influencing the lives of fellow humans. For me, my job is just a way to put bread on the table. Sometimes, there are days that I almost hate my job―when being away from my family for 12.5 hours is more than I can bear.

Today was such a day. I slouched and leaned against a street lamp to meditate a few minutes before the train came. And I heard the birds sing. The whole forest seemed to be singing. I adore this sound.

It dawned on me: I wouldn’t have heard this beautiful sound if not for my stinkin’ job. I’m forced to the walk near the forest every day at dawn, thus I have the opportunity to listen to the birds sing their morning songs. My commute is not so bad after all.

Hard times

And this way of thinking pertains to every single thing that happens in my life. I remember how crushed I was when my publisher nullified our contract. It was one of the most awful experiences in my life. I felt so alone. I was back to being a solopreneur facing the whole world. Dozens of tasks were back in my lap and I had no time for them.

My sales dwindled to nothing (to be exact, sales fell to 97 copies till the 25^th of January).

But on the 26^th, I published another book and it became a bestseller. In the first month, I sold 1162 copies. The best part of it? I was no longer required to give away 30% to my publisher. And I have a cool from rags to riches… errr, moderate means, story to tell.

There is a seed of greater good in everything that happens. In fact, most of the time, the “evilness” lies only in our perception. The moment the contract was dissolved, I knew my share would grow, but I anticipated less sales, not the same or a higher amount.

The purpose of purposeless

Similarly, my book about how to write a personal mission statement is a success; exactly because I was a lazy bum and had no idea where my life was going. Thanks to that experience, my readers have a more compelling story than Mr. Covey’s―he was already a man of success pursuing an academic career when he started developing his philosophy. When I faced the challenge of thinking about my life’s purpose, I was in a place where most of society is nowadays―nowhere.

Being nowhere at the age 33, having an unfulfilling job and a family to take care of, and having the feeling that all you want to do is to lay down and cry, completely sucks. But thanks to these circumstances, I was able to help people whom Stephen R. Covey was unable to reach.

Happy perspective

I can examine one awful experience of my life after another and within each, there was a hidden lesson or gift. And no, I’m am not some special case, this apply to you too. That’s how this world functions. “High drama” is its essence as Jim Rohn said.

I didn’t appreciate my hardships at that time only because I was so focused on MY vision of the world: you know, the one in which I’m its emperor and everything serves my pleasure. When you focus on such a vision, it’s quite easy to perceive only wrong out there. Bah, it’s the only thing you can see.

But there is nothing wrong with the world.

In the hindsight, I see so clearly that I would have been more happy in the process of experiencing such hardships if I only could have taken a step back and learn from those lessons.

One thing is sure: From this morning on, I will enjoy my commute a lot more.

Can you find a gem of goodness in your hardships? Share in the comments section: