Once upon a time, there was a king who asked a wise man to write something for him. He wanted words that, in times of triumph, would temper his pride, and in times of despair, would give him hope. The wise man wrote:

“This too shall pass.”

Our entire life is a reflection of change. A mirror doesn’t hold your image forever—it only reflects as long as you stand in front of it. The moon over a lake has no intention of seeing itself, nor does the lake desire to capture the moon’s image.

This principle of impermanence governs the universe. Everything we own—our achievements, failures, and possessions—are on lease. The house you live in today was passed to you by someone and will pass to another. Life is like a train ride: we don’t own the train or the seat we occupy. We don’t even know the operator. When we reach our destination, the setup dissolves, and a new journey begins with different passengers.

Problems arise when we try to claim ownership of the train or the seat. Instead of cherishing the journey, creating memories, and sharing experiences with fellow travelers, we focus on holding on to what was never ours to begin with. And when the journey ends, no one will escort us off the train—we will have no choice but to step out.

Consider the game of chess: during the game, pawns, kings, and queens fight valiantly. But when the game ends, they all go back into the same box, waiting for the next setup.

A banker once met a heavy smoker at a bar. Curious, the banker asked, “How many packs of cigarettes do you smoke a day, and for how long?”“Three packs a day for the last 20 years,” the smoker replied.

The banker calculated. “If you hadn’t smoked, you could’ve bought a Rolls Royce by now.”

The smoker asked, “Do you smoke?”

“No,” replied the banker.

“How many Rolls Royces do you own?” the smoker shot back.

The lesson? Comparing yourself to others is futile. Nothing is permanent, and whatever we have in this life is borrowed. In the end, we all go into the same box.

The happiest people are those who carry the least baggage. The more we hoard—possessions, worries, or regrets—the heavier our journey becomes. As the saying goes:

“Anything excess is poison.”

We come into this world with nothing, and we leave with nothing. Think of a restaurant: once you leave your table, it’s reset for the next customer. A hotel room or plane seat is never truly yours—it’s booked for someone else before and after you.

Our joys and sorrows, successes and failures, feelings and emotions are all temporary—just like a child who cries for a toy one moment and forgets it the next.

“The secret of life is to waste time in ways that you like.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter whether you leave this world from a mansion or a shack. We’re all here for a limited time, playing the same game. No one leaves this universe alive. So why spend your days consumed with worry about a future that may never come? Kings and slaves alike leave with empty hands. Every few generations, the players change, but the game remains the same.

“Man suffers only because he takes seriously what God made for fun.”

The key is self-awareness. Live in the moment—not for the moment. Learn the rules of the game and how to navigate its matrix. Don’t run from the storm; face it. Don’t compete or compare yourself with others.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

When you focus on the small things in life, you begin to understand the big ones. If you concentrate on what you don’t want, you’ll gain clarity on what you truly desire. The art of becoming lies in unbecoming everything you are not. Take care of yourself, and everything else will follow. If you want to attract greatness, become someone worthy of it. Work harder on yourself than anything else, and the world will align to your efforts.

YAZ

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