Hollywood is obsessed with ambition. YOU don't have to be.

Two things have happened, 6 months apart.

Firstly, in March I finally read Haemin Sunim's The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down.

Then, just yesterday, I watched this video , that inspired this post's title and content.

Side note: hold on to the word Komorebi. We'll come back to it in a minute.

In my work as a psychotherapist, I spend a lot of time helping my clients slow down.

After offering hundreds of hours in therapy, I have come to the informed conclusion that, the constant hustle, constant chasing, and unbridled ambition, are the antithesis of therapy and good mental health.

The version of 'success' that is peddled on social media, film and music leaves a big chunk of people miserable and disillusioned. 'There are many people who haven't yet achieved success who wonder if the path they're on towards what culture has defined as successful is really going to be worth it.'

People believe that they have to validate their existence by 'achieving something' that the world defines as 'good', 'important', otherwise, it is not worth it.

If you don't seem ambitious enough, if you are not ever busy, chasing the next big thing, if you are not spending every waking moment immersed in self-improvement, monetizing yourself, monetizing your hobbies, using your down time 'optimizing' yourself for maximum productivity, doing, creating, striving, then what are you even doing with your life?

The line between ambition and greed is razor thin. And if you look closely enough, most of what is passed off as ambition is commonplace greed. A desire for more for the sake of accumulating more. For the sake of proving your worth. For the sake of seeking respect and external validation. Because you have been taught, convinced and conditioned to believe that more is equal to worthy. It's not.

We have consumerism, comparison and capitalism to thank, but these 3Cs are a story for another day!

A lot can be said about what we need to do, what we must do, to get back to ourselves.

Going back to Komorebi, I think we can use this concept as a small act of resistance to unregulated ambition that keeps us trapped in the unending rat race.

Komorebi {木漏れ日} is a Japanese word that describes the way sunlight filters through tree leaves, creating a play of light and shadow. There is no direct English translation for komorebi.

This👇🏾 is komorebi.

Komorebi reminds us to pause, take a breath, look around, appreciate the here and now.

Komorebi reminds us to see what we have and be content, because often, it is enough.

Komorebi reminds us that light and dark exist. And we must learn how to live with both.

Komorebi reminds us that our lives are worth it, even if they don't appear on billboards.

Komorebi reminds us to reduce the amount of time we spend navel-gazing. It is not all about us.

Komorebi reminds us to seek and completely soak in the simple pleasures of life.

Komorebi reminds us that we won't be here forever.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying be idle, lazy and refuse to build a meaningful life.

I am saying, you don't have to lose your soul for it. You don't have to keep up with the Joneses. You don't have to wear yourself out chasing more.

Slow down. Slow down. Slow down.

A simple, quiet life is as worthy as an ambitious, fast paced life, as long as it is truly meaningful and fulfilling to you.

The statement that stuck with me from the video is: "If our minds are always stuck where we could be, we miss out on being where we are." And I think this is the best summary of everything I read in The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down.

P.S. September is Suicide Prevention Month. We have lot's of resources on this topic. Start here .

If you are a therapist, join the Suicide in Therapy Masterclass to learn what to do when your clients are suicidal. See you in class.