11/27/2025
Gratitude isn’t about pretending everything’s good; it’s about remembering that something is. It’s about noticing the things that are easy to miss and take for granted. It’s about seeing differently.
People often ask me what I love most about my work and my answer usually surprises them. In an online world my favorite moments are offline - getting to know a podcast guest after a great interview, bumping into all of you on the street or at an event, intimate moments shared with friends with open hearts.
Many years ago now, Radhi and I were in Ibiza for a friend’s wedding. We stayed at another friend’s home - a magical hilltop place in old town overlooking the sea.
Every evening, we’d sit on the beach together. No agenda, no cameras, no rush. Just a few people, the sound of waves, and the kind of conversations that only happen when everyone is finally relaxed.
He’d tell us stories—about his travels, the people he met along the way, and the moments that shaped him. What struck me wasn’t just the stories themselves but how he told them.
No blame.
No drama.
No judgement.
Just the experience. Just the truth. Just what was.
Listening to him, I realized something simple but powerful:
Every one of us carries two stories about our lives.
One version where everything went wrong and people hurt us.
And another version—told without judgment—where everything simply happened.
He always chose the second one.
And I think that’s why he feels so peaceful.
Not because his life was perfect—far from it.
But because he chose the story that didn’t keep him stuck in the hurt
I’m not saying to ignore your pain or suppress difficult times. I’m just encouraging all of us to notice the beauty even in the pain and the joy in the difficulty.
That night on the beach taught me this:
Peace isn’t found in having a perfect life.
Peace is found in choosing the gentler story.
The one that frees you.
