Because nothing was ever really yours.
You work so hard, overtime every day. You come home exhausted. You want to keep the essential position at work. You don’t want anyone to replace you. But here’s the thing: everyone, even the CEO, can be replaced. When you’re burnt out, or someone does your job better, you might be let go. And that’s it.
You can’t keep that chair forever.
You work your socks off and save every penny to buy a flat (or ten!) in the capital city. You’re always thinking about money – what you have and what you need. Finally, you buy the homes you’ve dreamed of. But guess what? Owning more stuff doesn’t make you as happy as you thought. Actually, it makes you worry more. You fret about looking after your flats and all the pricey things you’ve bought. One day, who knows? You might lose it all in a dodgy investment, or a burglar might nick everything. Even if you keep your homes till the end, they won’t be yours when you’re gone. We come into this world with nothing, and that’s how we leave it, too.
You can’t keep those houses forever.
You work hard at the gym or spend hours at beauty spas. You want to look young and fit forever. Even one extra pound makes you worry. A tiny spot or a little wrinkle near your eyes can ruin your day. Someone’s unkind words can really hurt. But all these things – putting on weight, getting spots, having wrinkles – they’re just normal. Love, we all get older. We all end up with age spots. No one can escape it, not even Elizabeth Taylor.
You can’t keep that youthful look forever.
You try so hard to build and keep a good image. For you, nothing matters more than your reputation. If someone doesn’t believe in you, doesn’t respect you, or ignores you, you get upset. You do everything you can to fix your image. But here’s the thing: your reputation and outward image aren’t real. They’re just make-believe. No matter how well you do, some people will always doubt you. You don’t really have an image here. You just have your true self, just as you are.
You can’t keep that reputation forever.
You try so hard to control your partner. Where they go, what they do, who they’re with – you want to know it all. Deep down, you’re scared of losing them. But the truth is, no one really owns anyone else. We meet, we walk together for a bit, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be side by side forever. One day, we’ll all have to say goodbye. Maybe we’ll grow apart or want different things in life. Or it could be illness, an accident, or just old age that parts us.
It’s the same with your parents and kids. The more you love them, the more you worry about them dying. You’re afraid of losing them.
You can’t keep them forever.
Wouldn’t it be great if you understood this: The pain of goodbye only happens because you THINK you’ve lost someone you love. But if you realise you never really lose anyone, you’ll suffer less. You see, there’s only the appearance of “loss”. It might look like they’ve left you behind, but they can never really leave you. They’re always a picture in your mind, so they can’t go anywhere – every time you think of them, there they are.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t work hard or stop exercising and living healthily. I’m not telling you not to aim to make money or not to love someone deeply. But remember this: do what you truly enjoy, not what you do because of fear.
Don’t be scared. You’ve got nothing to lose.
Why? Because you don’t really own anything – not even your own body.
When you understand this, you’ll live a life full of confidence.
Living without fear of loss makes you very confident. You believe you can live however you want.
But people who fear losing things are always unsure. We’re always worried about losing something, no matter how much money or love we have. We live in constant fear.
The more we have, the more we can lose. So, the worry keeps growing.
The richer we get, the more we fear losing it all.
The richer we are, the more we fear death.
The more we love, the more we fear losing those we love.
A gentle reminder: In the end, everything we think we own will be taken away from us someday.
I’m trying to live with this idea myself. It’s not easy to keep telling myself, “Hey Jasmine, you own nothing, you lose nothing”. But it gradually brings me a lot of peace. Unbelievably, I slowly suffer less when I “lose” something in life. I feel totally free.
Hope you find your own freedom and peace, even after many “losses”.
J.
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