I have spent several years sailing in the ocean with the Navy at one point of my life. One main reason I have chosen that path is because there is something so captivating and beautiful about the ocean that I couldn’t resist. It brings with it a kind of peace and stillness through the vastness of it all, at the same time it can also bring danger and excitement during the roughest sea state.

Whenever I was feeling depressed I would always head to places near the sea or lake. The sounds of the wave crashing, the reflections of the water, the vastness of the space, it never fails to calm the soul.

I had purposely woken up early for this sunrise shot during a trip to Gold Coast. I knew that I wanted to head to a popular part of the main beach but most of the roads are closed due to the annual marathon. This isolated place at the beach came as a surprise as I was forced by the traffic to end up here. It is just so miraculous that sometimes following the flow of life will lead you to unexpected and beautiful places. It might not be what you want or expect but sometimes what you get might be even better.

I am so blessed to be able to witness one of the most beautiful sunrise at one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever seen in my life and I am grateful to be able to share this moment with you.

There will come a time when we realized the truth of the fleeting nature of all physical things. There really is no things that we can own forever. All forms will eventually become formless one day and the faster we acknowledge this truth, the faster we will be able to really appreciate and enjoy all that life have to offer.

If we ask ourselves what do we really have when we came into this world, it would basically be broken down into three things. The mind body and spirit. There might be certain things that we might inherit on our birth for setting us on our path like our families, place of birth, couple of material stuff or more but what we really have attached to our whole life are these three core essential components. To be able to live to the greatest potential of our lives, it is crucial to be able to master these three elements.

It was not too long ago that I was so engaged in the material world that I thought the point of life is to own things. The more toys you have, the more successful you are. The flashier you are with the big cars, big houses and big money, the more it will give you a sense of power, of being in control. Not only things, eventually along the path you will feel that you need to own people too because to own a vast amount of things, it is inevitable for the need to control others and if you look hard enough you will find evidence everywhere that most people would like to assert their control over others based upon their desires and belief system. So ultimately control will become all that you seek.

The irony is that control is just an illusion. There really is nothing that we can control apart from ourselves. We would like to think that we are in control of people and situations but playing with the nature of all things will ultimately bring frustration and suffering. Most things on the planet, especially life, are meant to be free. You cannot prevent an earthquake from happening, a volcano from erupting, a tsunami from hitting or an animal from attacking when threatened, much less another human being.

The only things you can control is your thoughts in your mind, your body’s action and the understanding of the nature of your spirit or life energy.

Rather than looking outwards and trying to control that which cannot be controlled, it is time to turn inwards at the stuff that you really can control to make a difference in your life. A mastery and understanding of these three components can not only make you more joyful and successful, it will also greatly benefit your loved ones around you. When you know how to drive this vehicle that is you, you are free to detach from the control of others and thus allowing others the freedom to drive their own vehicle. The best way to love somebody is to love them in a way they feel free and allow them to do what they have come here to do.

We have always been an expert in the lives of others and the happenings in the world but most people do not turn inwards to ask themselves who they really are and what they were meant to do. Most of the problems of the world can be prevented if every person is accountable for their own lives and well-being.

There is always freedom in the choices we make and how good we make those choices is how much we understand ourselves and the connection between us and the larger body of humanity.

Know what you can and can’t do, the rest will fall into place.