The Things We Clutch In Our Graves Are Those Things We Gave Away

This quote was a life changing revelation to me; and it makes even more sense within the current text of this financial tsunami.

Fear pervades at this moment in time. Fear is gripping everyone. Fear features in all the media we encounter.

Fear is overwhelming us.

Yet fear is a feeling, and a feeling is created by our thinking. We can control our thinking; we can control our fears.

Two people I met recently seemed to be overcome by fear. Materially, they were very successful; emotionally, I would say they were bankrupt. What seems to be foremost on their minds is the fear of losing everything.

No doubt, their wealth has been reduced, on paper that is. Both still have many physical possessions. Yet it's strange that one can possess many things yet own nothing. Because by fearing that you will lose something, you are in effect relinquishing that very possession.

What we clutch in our graves are those things that we gave away. What this means is that we can never possess anything permanently. We came into this world with nothing, so we will leave empty handed. That is a fact.

Once you grasp this, you will realize that all possessions are temporary, and once you acknowledge this, you will no longer need to fear its loss. It's as simple as that! Once you embrace this mindset, you will realise that the only permanent possessions you cling to after you die are those possessions you gave away, as these are legacies you leave behind for others.

That will now leave you to then focus on the present, and living life to the fullest in the here and now. You will become less concerned about losing and more focused on winning in the present moment.

Victor Frankl, the Jewish holocaust survivor, believes that human beings do not just seek pleasure in life. What everyone really seeks is the meaning of life.

He lost his entire family in the holocaust. Yet, he found it within himself to make meaning of the tragedy that befell him. He concluded that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living, even in death and suffering. And after the war, he went to on to become a successful academic, author and psychologist.

This financial turmoil has clouded the view and meaning of life. It's time we truly embrace the present and discard the fear.

No season lasts forever because all of life is a cycle.

This too shall pass.