Thought Police Part II

 

A few elephants giving rides in Ayutthaya, in Thailand. Taken with a Nikon D200 and a 18-200mm VR lens. Part of the Ayutthaya Series in the Thailand Chronicles. 

This is a follow-up post to this post: Thought Police

Like I mentioned before, I rarely dwell on negative thoughts. I try to get rid of them as best I can and not obsess on them. That doesn’t mean that I keep them all bottled up, but I try and not spend too much time thinking about them; thinking about negative things is never good. It just makes you more upset.

I do have a temper, it is rarely on display though, since I do keep it in check.

Over the last few days, I have been thinking about a few negative things, but there is nothing like being able to simply brush them aside and dwell on the present and what will happen tomorrow.

I like to plan ahead, but not as far as I used to. I plan ahead for the next few years, but not in great detail and I keep it as close as possible to my current reality, meaning that I do not wonder what my life would be like if I would be a millionaire. The trouble starts when you start wishing and wishing for things like that and they never get realized. Meanwhile, your life is flashing by.

I concentrate on the here and now and take pleasure from a few simple things, like a good scooter ride when it’s not pouring cats and dogs. Or a good book, getting myself something small, drinking a good tea while writing. Playing some video games, though I have to admit that I haven’t really played with my Xbox 360 a lot since I moved to Taiwan.

Still, it happens that I will play. Actually, I am looking forward to getting a Wii in the next few months, just to play Zelda. I love that game, and I have played almost all incarnations of Zelda throughout the years and consoles.

When you dwell on negative thoughts, you get more upset. This normally leads to more obsession or can have you lash out at people in your life. I find that I am at my best when I am relaxed, happy and content with my life and what I have done until now.

Also, money isn’t everything. It is an important part of life, but as I have learned in my past careers, when I was a financial adviser, it doesn’t buy happiness. Having the latest hot car or the cool condo doesn’t really make you happy. You have to be happy and do things that will bring you joy in order to be happy.

I write a lot on how to make the most money in Taiwan because a lot of people in Taiwan are here to make money and save money. I am part of that lot, though I also came to experience life in Asia, learn Mandarin, go back to school in Taiwan and visit South-East Asia.

Traveling broadens your mind and makes you see things that you never thought you would see.

In the end, things are just things.

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Thought Police