Ouch. That hurts. Okay, so what’s your suffering? Mine are self criticism, health paranoia, and some insomnia/fatigue. These sometimes lead to bouts of depression, or maybe the bouts are isolated. I have no idea. Now let’s be clear, these don’t define me, or run my life, but are the bumps in my road. Sometimes however, these together can create a lot of stress and worry for me, and it’s pretty unbearable.
For years I would battle my suffering flare ups. I would wage war on them by doubling down on “fun” people in my life, parties, more gym or travel, or making more money. These things can help, but not very much. Looking back, I think I was trying to distract myself instead of addressing what wasn’t right in my life.
2008-2010 was tough. I was working in an industry I hated. Then I got laid off by Merrill Lynch during the financial crises, slipped a disc in my back, went through a crushing break up, and watched my first startup fail after years of hard work. I could barely walk for months; I was
“Nelson Mandela statue London” by omontero, Pixabay, License: CC0 Public Domain
Pay attention to your suffering and use it as the catalyst for real change in your life.
