Sadly two public figures have committed suicide this week, Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade, who has built the successful international fashion brand we're all familiar with. The world of fashion is quite passionate and extreme, some people work until they die while others accomplish great things but get lost along the way.
Here in the UK, many people still feel sad about Alexander McQueen, who was an extraordinary designer, both creatively and technically. The brand bearing his name ascended to royal heights when the Duchess of Cambridge married in an Alexander McQueen dress, and she continues wearing the brand to this day.
We can understand the despair of people who clearly have very challenging circumstances in their life, but when someone who is perceived as successful commits suicide, the general sense is of utter dismay. It seems incomprehensible to take your own life when you have all the external conditions to be happy.
Unless you're a mind reader, the inner world of others remains a complete mystery. There are bright lights and dark corners in all of us, and dealing with them is an everyday universal experience. The line between those who are mentally sound or unhealthy is very thin, so it's always good to be aware of our inner struggles and know how to lighten up.
Do you remember a moment when you were truly happy? What triggered it? What is your definition of chilling out? What makes you fully immerse yourself in what you're doing to the point where you even loose track of time? Do you nurture your relationships with others? How often do you do something for someone else unconditionally?
We arrive in this world full of energy, thinking life is a huge party and the world is our oyster offering endless possibilities, but as we grow old we discover more and more pain, and the world of adults we used to admire can actually become quite heavy and slippery, possibilities start to narrow more and more and our body starts to loose its vibrancy and power.
How to make sense of all this? It's up to each of us to find out. But it's always good to remember we take the wheel, the driving seat is ours so if you see you're going in the wrong direction turn around. Life is brief enough anyway.
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