
Living in Costa Rica 🇨🇷 has given us a decent amount of perspective on privilege. Where the family home in this picture is fairly average here (I should post a picture of one of the many homes built from random boards and pieces of scrap nailed together), Costa Rica is consistently voted the #1 happiest country in the world.
Why? Well there are lots of reasons. One reason is that the majority of Ticos (Costa Ricans) don’t know there is anything else out there, so they are content living their life as it is. If you know anything about the Tao Te Ching, that’s it.
They have no debt. No mortgage, no car payments, no credit cards etc. The majority grow their own food, and get their water from their land. Many will never travel outside of their hometown, nor will they know what it’s like to stay at a hotel, fly in an airplane or anything like that.
They don’t worry about the little things, because what’s the point? Their motto is Pura Vida, meaning pure life.
One reason we moved here, was that we were tired of being part of a system that lets off police officers who shoot children after imprisoning their fathers.
Another reason we moved was to get out of the intense emotions swirling in the US, so we could assist our people with a clear head, and a big picture point of view.
Another reason was that we wanted to experience the other side of the success spectrum. The US holds the side of the spectrum where you can make money and buy things, while Costa Rica holds the side of the spectrum where happiness is a way of life. Those were the vibes we needed to soak in.

The country is by no means perfect, and at the same time, that they can find so much happiness despite the imperfections, has earned my respect.
There have been a few times where the government passed a law the people didn’t like, and how they dealt with it blew me away. From what I am told by those who were there, the Ticos simply didn’t go to work, and basically shut the country down. A few days later the president made an announcement that he changed his mind about the law. No fuss, no muss. No civil war. Everyone is on the same team.
Of course, things are a little more complicated in the USA… Everyone has debt and bills to pay. The majority don’t grow their own food. They couldn’t just not go to work as a way to protest something, because their survival depends on that paycheck. They don’t actually have the kind of freedom that affords real independence. That’s the rat race… They have to keep spinning that wheel.
Hardships can make you or break you. You can be the happiest person alive, with no arms or legs, in prison for the rest of your life, or you can be the saddest person alive, with millions in your bank account. You are not your circumstances. You are who is empowered or disempowered by them.

When our clients come to us with their old stories about all the reasons they don’t have what they want, we help them move beyond those reasons so they can actually have what they want next. There is an effective way to exact change, and many ineffective ways.
When I see the way someone is moving towards a goal, I can feel it in my body if it’s going to work or not… If the person feels empowered, and they are creating a brighter future, there is a much better chance of completing their mission than if they feel disempowered, shut down and pissed off. When creating our reality, we will always create more of what we are creating, so be careful what you create!
If you have a belief system that says someone isn’t listening to you, your actions will create them not listening to you. You’ll speak at the wrong time, or in a way that shuts them down, and then you’ll have proof that you were right about them not listening. I see it all the time.
Anyway, my point is that change comes from creating things the way you want them to be, not complaining about the way they have been. Count your blessings, and move on from there.
You got this!

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