Perspective is Everything

I spoke about this in my book in quite some honest detail. It’s so easy in this modern day of social metrics and comparison, to view someone’s life through a biased lens. We tend to look at milestones like new cars, promotions, graduations and engagements as sure-fire signs of concrete bliss.

But that’s a narrow-minded approach.

I can recall two identical times in my own life where I experienced this dichotomy. The first was mid 2018 – I had breezed through my first year in college. I was diving around in my first car, with two part time jobs (300 euros a week at 19 seems like all the money in the world) and I was experiencing the financial breath of fresh air that was my four year college scholarship. Looking in from outside, I appeared to be riding the gravy train on biscuit wheels. In reality however, I was in pieces; my anxiety had spiked, mood was low, and every day felt like a depression filled slog. It was a valuable lesson at 19 – no amount of outer pleasure can compensate for a dwindling mental state and internal turmoil.

The second incident occurred at 23. Once again, money played a role here. A graduate salary to someone fresh out of a job in fast food, feels like Premier League wages. I bought my second car, new clothes, I went on holidays, ate and drank my fill, you name it. But once again, the trigger of changing circumstances rattled my anorexia, and my anxiety crippled me. I remember saying to my friend through tears that I would happily give up the permanent pensionable job if I could have my mental health back. I would have taken my book off of Amazon, and wiped any interviews I had done from human memory, if I could just get back my mental stability. No amount of outer recognition, praise or progress can outweigh unhappiness.

Appreciate your mental and physical health. They really are the foundations of everything!

Have a good week all,
Conor