Time is definitely ticking away at such a pace, or is it the fact that we find ourselves lost in virtual worlds so often—worlds of imaginary lives and life principles that are stealing the present moment from us? I guess the answer to this question is not an easy one.
It's been almost seven years since I left Norway, a country where I lived for about a year. I loved the country so much, but I hated my life there. I had a miserable job, no friends or family, and my social life was pretty similar to that of a fish in an aquarium.
I liked the Norwegians a lot. Most of the ones I met were easygoing people—quite friendly, smart, chill as fuck, and definitely the most sun-loving dudes I've met in my entire life. Norway does not benefit from a lot of sun over the course of a year, and when it does, everyone is out getting as much of it as possible.
I have lost all of the photos I took there. I did not have a Hive account at that time—it was 2016 when I got there, and I’ve changed lots of smartphones since then. I remember one of the few highly enjoyable days I spent there. One day, the owner of the house I was living in (and my boss at the time) was invited to one of his business partner's vacation houses on an island.
He took us with him, and to get there, we took the yacht of the dude who extended the invitation. That thing was huge, insanely luxurious compared to what I had seen so far, and I can say pretty much the same thing about the vacation house we went to. It was a typical Norwegian wooden house, but a dream home to me.
I've lived in several places across Europe in my 38 years of age, and I've noticed one thing: usually, individuals who are wealthier than you show some sign of superiority. I saw that in Bucharest, in Germany, and almost every other place I've been to.
This guy was not like that. He was so at peace with himself. I noticed that from the fact that he was quite interested in getting a few details about my hometown and the country where I came from. He even thanked us for joining him that day. That dude was a chad.
I've seen German folks with way less than what he had and with way more superiority manifested towards "plebs like myself." I feel like the folks that manifest such behavior are not at peace with themselves. They don't feel like they have enough or are enough.
Look at Andrew Tate. This guy is worth a lot of millions, but his superiority shows a different story than what he tries to make us believe he is. The same happens with many others who are living up to the standards social media tries to impose on us.
Don't get me wrong, I don't consider competitiveness to be something bad, but I'd rather challenge myself to overcome my old self than to be better than X or Y. Always looking to beat that guy or the other and become superior to them is a never-ending hustle. It's exhausting and counterproductive.
You can't be like that dude in the gym, earn like that influencer showing off with all sorts of exotic cars, or have the harem of beautiful girls some Instagram chad is showing off with. You can always build the best version of yourself, though.
It's a fight worth taking, IMO, and it starts now. This is a letter to myself, a post that I will bookmark and re-read once in a while, especially when the bull market is over and the real recession/depression kicks in. Have a great Sunday, folks, and see you all next time.
Thanks for your attention,
Adrian