Remember to act with kindness, integrity and sincerity (for we are one and free)

I am writing to you on Australia Day.

It is a day where we are encouraged to celebrate our wonderful country and to sing its praises despite opposition or calls to amend the date.

Growing up it was a day that I loved.

The joy of slapping on green and gold face paint, having a beer with mates or family whilst smacking back a couple of sausage sangas over a game of backyard cricket.

How good!

Over time, I became aware of the pain that this day caused some members of our society.

So, I stopped celebrating.

Not overall, just that day in that specific way.

Now I celebrate every day in my own way. I give thanks to the country I live in daily. I show gratitude for everything I have, the freedom I am blessed with and the beauty of this land.

I make an effort to give thanks and praise to my immediate circle and help out everywhere I can.

Australia is an incredible place and I am so proud of so many aspects of this country of ours:

• Great food
• Multicultural
• Relaxed nature
• Sporting culture
• Healthcare system
• Non-violent society
• Great beer and wine
• Employment abundance
• Naturally beautiful/diverse

I love my country.

Loving the place I was born and the place I was blessed with doesn't make me a bad person; being patriotic is not wrong.

But in my opinion, throwing that love of country and freedom in the face of a fellow Australian on a particular day that appears to trigger deeply held trauma and pain is wrong.

No one ever told me to stop celebrating that day.

I just did.

It made sense to me.

"Wait, so I can celebrate in my own way like every other day and that'll be fine as long as I'm not throwing it in your face on this day?"

Ok great, I'll do that then—in fact I would be glad to.

Father's Day is similar.

When I was 26, I found out a good friend of mine lost his father when he was very young in a bad car accident.

So in solidarity with my friend, I stopped celebrating.

Now on Father's Day, I message my mate to tell him I love him and that I am thinking of him, then I hug my Dad and tell him I love him and that I'm proud of him.

It just made sense.

The only way I would continue extravagantly celebrating would be either through ignorance or arrogance.

So I didn't, I chose kindness and sincerity.

And I still do.

Every single day in so many ways we can choose one of 2 paths:

1. Ego and sense of self-importance.
2. Kindness, integrity and sincerity.

So I try to treat today like every day.

I practice gratitude for what I have

I try to be the man philosophy wants me to be.

I strive to act with integrity, sincerity and kindness.

I speak out against bullies in all forms when and where I can.

Love for Australia is love for mateship and love for mateship is love for the qualities that our country was founded on.

Freedom, respect, fairness and equality of opportunity.

Lead with these always and be the change that you want to see in the world—you have that power.

With gratitude,

Sav.

If you like my content and want more, there's 2 ways to go deeper:

1. ​Lil Gratitude Journal: My gratitude journal has been carefully designed for the busy modern-day creative/entrepreneur. It's efficient, effective and affordable (and makes for a great gift).
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