We get very attached to things, people, situations, outcomes…we believe they’re the most important thing in our life. Wanting them no matter what, and struggling to get them. But if you look back to something you really thought you wanted a decade ago, you’ll see it barely even matters. Remembering this secret helps us flow through life with ease and curiosity.

Hello, hello, hello welcome to The Feel Good Factor. I’m Susmitha Veganosaurus, and I’m so glad you could join me here today. If you enjoy the story in this episode, then you’re going to love my free newsletter The Feel Good Tribe.

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“Here. Catch!” said Anu, and tossed the envelope to me two rows away.

The sharp edge could’ve hurt me if I’d attempted to catch it properly, so instead, I fluttered my hands vaguely and let it drop onto my backpack at the back of my chair. “Thanks”, I smiled, hoping she hadn’t caught the half a moment of expectation on my face. Where was my gift? We all always got little gifts and greeting cards for each other for our birthdays, the whole gang.

The ritual of walking into Archies (not the one across the school gate, that one was for emergencies only, but the big one on Commercial Street), browsing the aisle, surreptitiously peeking through the romantic and valentines and anniversary collections on my way to the birthday section with hope in my teenage heart, and then moving on to the birthday cards.

Carefully lifting one by one, caressing its edges, being especially careful with the glittery ones. Choosing just the right card, the perfect envelope for it, writing neatly inside as I imagined the smile on my friend’s face.

So much potential, so many stories, so full of hope in my young heart.

Best friends forever! Our whole gang would be together always, always. I legit believed this. Now when I think back on it, I laugh lovingly at the naiveté of my teenage hopes and imaginings.

We all went our different ways. Of course we did. Some friends I found again when Facebook appeared in the late 2000s, but they could only be casual acquaintances. Some I have no idea where they are (and let’s face it, in these post corona times, if they are).

But two of them have always remained with me, a constant.

We hop on the phone and the decades just fall away like crumbling cake.

How blessed I feel when I think of them.

As for all those greeting cards from the entire group? I still have them in my desk drawer. The whole collection! And once in a while I pull them out and caress them. I read them and I feel nostalgic over them.

It’s a good thing that day Anu chose to give me only a card instead of giving me only a gift. Because I have no idea where all the gifts are. All those little gifts. Imagine the trinkets that teenagers would give each other. *laughs*

But the cards? They’re precious! They’ve lived all these years, they’re evergreen, filled with all those beautiful memories.

You know, change is inevitable, right?

So right now in this moment we think, “This is what I want with my life. These are the things, these are the people. This is the way things are supposed to go”. And if we don’t get it, we get upset, we get irritated, we get angry, we let it bring us down. But the things we want, the things we value, these keep shifting and changing.

Just because something is super important to me right now, in this moment, doesn’t mean it’s going to be important to me later.

You know, one year down the line, five years down the line, ten years down the line. So when we accept that whatever comes comes, whatever goes goes, things change, transform, and go with the flow of life, what it brings us, where life takes us, we’re so much happier!

Because nothing is as important as we think it is!

And I don’t mean this for just the tiny little things. I mean it in terms of…

• your business – the direction it’s taking
• your creative projects – your opportunity to create more
• your relationships – the people in your life right now who you think are the most important people ever

You think they’re going to be there forever. They might, they might not. What’s meant to be will be.

We don’t have to be attached to any person, any situation, any outcome, because you never know!

In the future, something that you don’t think is important right now (something that’s sticking by you, staying strong, always there), that thing might be what you value five years down the line, ten years, twenty years, decades down the line.

None of us are so wise that we know what’s truly important and what isn’t. And this whole definition of what’s “truly important” keeps changing and shifting and transforming anyway.

So instead of trying to figure out what’s important, we just let go of control, and we don’t try to force things.

We take action. We try to be as good as we can, right? Compassionate, kind, loving, all of that. Then we step back, surrender and go with the flow. Go where the universe takes us, receive things that come to us, let go of things that aren’t meant to be in our life anymore.

Things, people, situations, your business, even your interests, what you think is the most important creative project in your life, all of that…You take action, then you surrender. And what’s meant to be, let it be.

When we step back a little, we can watch things with detachment, from a place of curiosity.

Then let things be the way they’re meant to be, and enjoy that process. Be more flexible so that as you flow through life, things are easy for you.

Think back on a few things you wanted last year or the year before or maybe even ten years ago. Just think back to some other point in your life where you thought, “This is it! This is what I want! No matter what, this is the most important thing to me!” And now you don’t even really care about it. It doesn’t even matter anymore. I’m sure there are many things like this you can think of in your life.

And then, when something is torturing you right now, like, “Oh no, I want it. I’m not getting it”, making you struggle right now, remember the other thing that you let go of that you don’t care about anymore. Remember that so it’ll make this process easy for you right now.

All right! Thank you for listening to The Feel Good Factor. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter, The Feel Good Tribe.

I’ll talk to you again next week. Take care. Bye!

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Susmitha Veganosaurus

“I read voraciously, find humour in most things, and I’m most in my element when I’m teaching, writing, and playing with clay. I believe authenticity and kindness are the keys to world peace. Sign up for myfree newsletterwhere I share conversational emails with stories about Life and Business Tips, Vegan Hacks, Holistic Guidance, and more.“

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