I had this thought yesterday that I want to build on.

The only thing we are guaranteed in life is death. Everything else can be stripped away from you: your home, work, family, relationship, money, status, and everything in between. You can be put at rock bottom, yet again. This is just the nature of life.

The thing to realize from this is how possessive we can become. We try to possess and own everything, but the truth is, you cannot truly own anything. Everything you have is either rented or borrowed by the nature of it being able to be stripped away from you at any time, and ultimately, at death.

So, at the end of the day, how do you want to craft and build your life?

Everything comes down to who you are as a person. It does not matter what has happened to you. It does not matter how low you have been. It does not matter if you hit rock bottom.

Who are you at the top, who are you at the bottom, and do you have the same character in both instances This is the person who matters, and that is what you should focus on.

Learning that nothing is truly owned, and that you cannot permanently possess anything, will put you in a better position than believing you can. When you allow yourself to become vulnerable to the idea that everything can be pulled away from you anyway, you become more in touch with the moments you have while those things are still here.

It also makes you more resilient. If things change, it does not change who you are, because those things were never yours to keep in the first place.

If you have clothes on your back, food to eat, water to drink, work to do, and people in your life who love you today, you are blessed. Enjoy those moments and your time with them. All of those things will eventually be stripped away from you, but that’s okay. The vulnerability of knowing this is what will make you love and appreciate them more. It will help you experience life in a way that does not lead with possession, but with appreciation.

It will lead you toward a life that does not fear losing, because you understand that everything can be taken from you at any time, regardless of how tightly you try to hold on.

Appreciate what you have, and do not try to possess it.