Cherishing what one possesses in the present is a beautiful way of thinking. Though the world is filled with many things, very few truly belong to us. Watch the flowers bloom and wither in the courtyard without being shaken by honor or disgrace; gaze at the clouds rolling and dispersing in the sky with indifference toward staying or leaving. In this turbulent world, being able to treat everything with a calm heart is a profound state of being.
If you take a step back to reflect on how you view yourself, the decisions you have made, and how they influence your life, and envision the life you desire, you are engaging in conscious thought and awakening. Many people spend their entire lives avoiding such reflection, preferring to live in a dream. Their choices are merely hurried reactions to what has already happened; they lack plans, goals, and foresight. Their lives are like pinballs in a machine, pushed wherever they encounter a stimulus, which is why they often fail to find true happiness.
Life cannot be perpetually smooth. Throughout life's journey, prosperity and adversity, luck and misfortune, always coexist. One cannot escape misfortune, for a life without hardship is as difficult as a life without luck.