The loss illusion

At some point in your life, you lost something you really cared about.

This loss made you sad. You felt empty because of it. You continuously tried to remember what life was like before you lost it.

But there is one thing that we tend to overlook:

IF YOU HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED THE FEELING AT ALL, YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE LOST ANYTHING.

This is the illusion of loss.

You feel sad that you lost something, you try to do all you can to recreate the time before the loss. But in reality, you should just be happy it all happened. You should be happy that you had the ability to experience it all before it was lost.

Saying you lost something implies that at some point it was there.

You can’t lose something without first having it.

So be happy you had it.

In my personal story, I often found myself becoming sad over the loss of a feeling. I became so hung up on the fact that a feeling I loved was gone and I could no longer create it. Instead of relishing the fact that I was able to experience this feeling for quite some time, I lamented the loss of it.

DON’T BE UPSET YOU LOST, BE HAPPY YOU HAD.

With a slight shift in perspective, the sadness of a loss can be converted into the joy of experience.

Every moment will be lost at some point in time. It is inevitable. Knowing this, all you can do is be present in the moment. Becoming completely present in each moment will allow you to fully experience it so when you lose it, it won’t hurt as bad.

Respect time. It is a resource that cannot be regained.