Post by @fraser__reynolds

I’ve never met him. Never spoken to him. I’ve absolutely no idea who he is. But a couple of weeks ago, I sat on this bench and watched him for almost an hour. At the time, I was in a pretty dark place. From the outside, you probably wouldn’t have known it. I was still showing up, posting, working and putting on the brave face. But behind all of that, I felt absolutely fuck all. I was working ridiculous hours, chasing the next milestone, the next number, the next bit of growth. And I could see exactly where I was heading. Becoming one of those entrepreneurial statistics we’ve all seen before. Successful from the outside. But internally, fucking dying. Working more. Achieving more. Earning more. While your relationships suffer, the people closest to you get whatever is left, and the things that actually matter start crumbling around you. All so you can prove to people on the internet that you’re successful. What a fucking trade. Then there was this guy. He sat there for almost an hour. No phone. No distractions. No rushing anywhere. Just looking out at the water, seemingly completely content with absolutely nothing happening. And I was so fucking jealous of him. Not because of what he had. Because of what he didn’t seem to need. I’ve allowed social media to brainwash me into thinking I needed a life that, when I really thought about it, I didn’t even fucking want. So I’ve started changing things. Morning walks without my phone. Getting off my phone more. Taking work out of the house. Setting actual working hours and boundaries. And looking for the small things that make life good instead of constantly chasing the bullshit I’ve been told should make me happy. There’s nothing wrong with ambition or wanting to build something you’re proud of. But not if the price of becoming successful is giving up everything that made life worth living in the first place. This random guy reminded me of that without ever saying a word. He’ll never know who I am. But I don’t think I’ll ever forget him. Thanks for reading now get off your phone and go do some cool shit. Fraz x