Every year, I publish a post on my birthday looking back on the year and asking myself whether I’ve lived in accordance with my values.
This year, I want to keep it short and ask two questions:
- Do I love myself?
- What am I grateful for?
Hopefully, there’s loads of life ahead, more people to meet and great food to eat. Let’s begin.
Lovely love
So, I love a lot of people. I’m quite generous with my love. I try to value my friendships with relationships with people because they’re often what makes life worth living.
Seeing my girlfriend laugh at my amazing jokes (if you ask her she’ll say something like “no, he’s not funny… ah his jokes are terrible” then roll her eyes and laugh at the idea that I was ever considered funny, but really, that’s just her way of saying “He really is the funniest guy I’ve ever been around”).
Knowing my friends can rely on me to listen to them in times of need but not get to a restaurant on time. Or getting positive feedback from people on my writing (but only rarely because I rarely write) is all beautiful.
Do I extend that same courtesy to myself? No.
Maybe “self-love” doesn’t need to be as intense as the love we have for other people, but I think it would be helpful to be more compassionate towards myself.
Perhaps I can try being compassionate towards myself with regard to my actions rather than thoughts.
Thoughts come and go. Negative or positive. Actions can be slightly more long-lasting – like eating well and exercising.
By the time I’m 24, perhaps I’ll love myself a bit more.
I am grateful for…
Friends and family
I’ve surrounded myself with a bunch of really dope people and I don’t think I would be where I am today if it wasn’t without them. Even those I’ve lost contact with.
Charity
I never posted it here but I recently raised £480 for Cancer Research UK, Marie Curie UK and Diabetes UK.
It involved a lot of swimming (about 25 miles over 3 months) but I was going to do that anyway so why not raise money will doing it?
We (the donors and I) were successful in the end. We helped a great cause and I got fitter in the mean time.
Exercise
I’m always grateful that I simply have the ability to exercise. If my back had been slightly worse, I may not have had proper use of my legs! Even if that happened, I still would have found a way to exercise.
It’s great. It’s like a free way to feel accomplished and non-sluggish.
I recommend you appreciate your body, regardless of its flaws and try some light exercise. When you get into the groove of it – I demand an ultra-marathon.
Vegetables
Ok, I’ll explain.
In short, I’ve been eating more vegetables and they’re bloody great. It’s like free food that makes your plate look like a rainbow.
Vegetables are just dope, man. I feel sorry for those who still say things like “I don’t eat vegetables” because they just remember those sad what-even-is-flavour, I’ve-been-steamed-for-too-long, I-am-pure-trash looking veggies they had in primary school.
Books
Books are the best investment possible. Unless you’re an American college student.
I can read words. That’s really great.
There are millions of really good words in a beautiful order out there and it’s a pleasure to be able to experience the worlds other people create.
There’s probably more but I was meant to keep this short.
For everyone that’s read my work over the past year or longer, thank you. I love you too.
I used to be younger:
Improving Slowly 
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