I consider myself a young man with still so much to learn about life. In my 35 years of age I just managed to start a company, make good friends and most important form a family with my wife and two daughters. Never planted a tree and haven’t written a book.
Those three things didn’t come easy, struggles to get things going at the company, fights and distance with friends and one or two (or a thousand) arguments with mi wife and a lot of sleepless nights singing nursery songs made my life miserable (according to social standards of how happiness should be, all found on social media) but I just realized that all those difficult moments translate into happiness, well the acceptance of those moments. Let me explain.
Once I realized that not all companies grow to hundreds of employees and millions in billing on a couple of years, I was happy with the accomplishments of my own company. I stopped measuring things against others and just accept what I had done. This has nothing to do with conformity, on the contrary, I want to keep growing but I accept my accomplishments and failures as my own.
Between work and family I haven’t dedicate a lot of time to friends but now I understand that good friends are not the ones you talk to everyday but the ones you talk to after months and they support you no matter what and you are ready to help them whenever they call. I can say I have some of those.
Marriage is hard, very hard. There is compromising and getting used to your partners obsessions and it can be a constant struggle but the moment you realize that your anger and frustration is only your responsibility you can take a step back and re evaluate a lot of things and just accept them. You can´t change them and that is fine, you should just focus on the things that are in your control, this is not easy but little by little I’m learning to let go.
In conclusion, for me ACCEPTANCE = HAPPINES. The more I accept the decisions I make and focus on the present without worrying much about the past or the future I feel happy, I feel complete.
I hope that in a couple of years I read this I find out that I was wrong because that would mean I’m still trying to be a better person, for me, for my family and for the people around me.