“Life is a precious gift. Don’t waste it being unhappy, dissatisfied, or anything else you can be.” ~ Unknown

I used to have panic attacks.

They would happen when I least expected it.

I’d lose feeling in my arms and legs, then lose my breath and have to excuse myself in the middle of a conversation.

The rush of adrenaline was like riding a roller coaster, minus the fun. And the more they happened, the more I thought maybe there’s something seriously wrong?

But there was nothing wrong.

After all the tests, the doctors just kept asking the same question – are you sure you haven’t been overly stressed?

Of course, my answer was no. I was denying the obvious and ignoring my intuition. Something that so many of us do.

Truthfully, I was stressed. I was struggling with a job I hated and a side business that I was losing interest in.

I wasn’t letting my mind or body rest.

The worst nights were the ones where I couldn’t fall asleep because I was afraid that I wouldn’t wake up.

But in retrospect, I’m thankful for those nights because it wasn’t until I was afraid of leaving this earth that I truly began to appreciate being here.

No matter how inaccurate the fear and worry may have been, it led me to feel a deep sense of gratitude.

Simply being alive was finally enough.

And it is enough. For all of us.

We have to remember that things don’t last forever and start to make our own well-being a priority.

Our time here is short and in order to truly serve the world and live out our purpose we have to first care for ourselves.

When we’re constantly preoccupied with our busyness, it’s too easy to forget that life is a precious gift. 

Becoming tangled in our own mental drama isn’t worth it.

Imagine if you had to look back and wonder where all your time went. By then it might be too late.

The good news is that if we start cherishing each and every breath, right here and now, we won’t have to spend the end of our days dreaming about the things we wish we would have paid more attention to.

Every moment is valuable. Even the days that seem impossible carry something for us to treasure.

Beauty always finds a way to shine through our suffering, we just have to surrender to see it and remember that life itself is the most precious gift.

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