(First published on 15-02-2008.)
At the beginning of every year, I use a simple test to measure how well I have done in the previous year. I ask myself if the previous year was the best year of my life so far.
I asked myself this question first in 2001, and after that, for five years in a row, the answer was “yes”. Every year, from 2001 to 2005, was the best year of my life! Imagine that! It felt as if everything I wished for was within my reach; all I had to do was to ask for it and it would be mine. It felt as if every possibility was like a low hanging fruit; all I had to do was to raise my arm and pluck it. My life changed in those five years; I was literally transformed into a new man.
Then, the bubble burst. I had two difficult years in a row. Suddenly, nothing was easy anymore. In fact, the harder I tried, the more difficult it became. Every important aspect of life — love, work, money, health — came to a standstill, or, devolved. I felt frustrated at work, didn’t save any money, broke my heart twice, ignored my interests, ate junk food and put on weight.