I took Australia for granted

I'm writing this as I stare out the window overlooking the balcony and view of the ocean

The sound of birdsong is louder than the thoughts in my head

The meditative under current of waves crashing in the distance  

It's approaching winter, yet it's not cold  

This is Australia  

It's paradise  

and I'm fortunate enough to call this place home.  

Although a few years ago I was sick of it.  

I was born in Sydney, New South Wales, grew up in the suburbs, attended Church and School like a normal kid  

Played with friends in the neighbourhood, explored the outdoors on BMX bikes and travelled to beautiful beachside destinations on weekends with friends and family. 

Sounds like paradise doesn't it?  

But I was bored  

Going to the beach again next weekend? Boring  

Travelling to the mountains to enjoy beautiful nature views? Boring  

Hanging with family for a picnic in a national park with cool wildlife? Boring 

To me and many Australians, this is normal.   

But if paradise is normal, what is paradise then?  

Paradise should be fun, exciting yet equally relaxing and peaceful, a place of pure bliss.  

The problem is, perspective.  

If Australia is labelled "Paradise" yet all I've experienced is Paradise, my threshold or internal measurement system is going to be miscalibrated.  

You don't appreciate the sun without the rain.  

Therefore you don't appreciate paradise without a bit of gloom.  

I've taken this country for granted for 30 years.  

It's been too familiar and it wasn't until I moved away to The Netherlands, (now for 4 years), that I see Australia in a new light, I appreciate the natural beauty.

The people are friendly, everyone is laid back and nature is spectacular.

Not to say The Netherlands is gloomy and people aren’t friendly, it's just a different environment to Australia.

I love The Netherlands and the culture it provides, but getting out of your natural environment, forces you to gain new perspective and appreciate the things you've biased yourself towards. Or better said, it removes a lot of the blinders you've put on.  

You don't know what you have

If you're struggling with bordem, complacency, mundane and routine: get away.  

Get out of your environment and experience something new  

Move to the other side of the world, away from family and friends

Comeback and you’ll re-experience the beauty of home.

The same can be said for knowledge and skills  

You don’t know what you know

You have a world of experience built up in that beautiful mind of yours  

But, you’ve spent an eternity away from those thoughts and experiences, come back to them.

Write

You've acomplished things, smashed goals and learned powerful lessons  

But you probably don't realise

How often do you reflect back on your past and write or think about the things you've done?

 Do you know that there are people out there, like you who have the same struggles, who are looking for solutions to problems you've solved.  

Searching the internet on how to fix certain problems in their life.  

Share your experiences  

Share your lessons  

Share your solutions  

You will build a tribe of people hungry for your knowledge, hungry for how you solved problems and got to where you are today.  

Don't take your life, experiences and lessons for granted.  

Write, create and share.  

If you want to know more about how you can become a content creator, share your unique experiences, build an audience and sell your solutions, let's chat.

Reply with the word "habanero" for a free coaching call, we'll get you creating content in no time.  

As always, thank you for reading this friends, I hope you received value.  

Jono.