“I’m so sad…I don’t want to say goodbye.”

These words were a common theme in my life.

I didn’t like letting go.

But what one of my customers said changed my mindset forever.

I was the type of person to never chew gum in class

Because I would get anxiety from everyone staring at me,

If I stood up to throw out my gum.

I was the type of person who didn’t want to leave my barista job,

Because it meant saying goodbye to regular customers I loved chatting with.

But one of them -

An 86 year old who always ordered a coffee with 2 creams -

Said something that changed my whole perspective.

“People come and go in your life. All you can do is be grateful you got the chance to meet them.”

He told me this after I said I wanted to stay at that job forever,

Because it meant I wouldn’t have to say goodbye.

Now, more than 4 years later,

I still haven’t seen him again.

But his words live on inside me,

And inside everyone I share this story with.

Be grateful for your experiences, rather than fearful of letting go

This mindset has truly made me a happier person.

I realized I’d rather be grateful for my experiences,

Because I had to accept most things in life are temporary.

You can let that be liberating

(No one cares about me throwing out my gum),

Or shut yourself in a self-made prison,

Feeling miserable and counting your losses.

But like I say in my course videos:

Reframe loss as gain.

You’re letting go of something,

But that just makes room for something else.

Your bad memories make you who you are,

But you’re in control of how you perceive those memories.

Why not choose to become a better person?

That’s all for today! Thanks for reading ❤️ 

Kindly,

Jennifer