Thanks for sharing buddy, this is a very powerful story!

It reminds me of the story that Brendon Burchard tells. He narrowly survived a car accident at age 19, and it completely turned his life around. Sounds like the same thing happened to you.

I'm really sorry that you lost your friend that day. What a shock, even more so because you were living in a happy bubble at the time.

And I can relate to how a life-changing event can really change the way you live your life. I've had a burnout, had a continuous headache for almost 2 years. Affected every part of my life. Couldn't work, couldn't read anything for more than 10 mins, couldn't focus on a conversation with other people if other people were around, chatting. At the time I thought I would never recover, it was taking so long and nothing I tried seemed to work.

Eventually, I did recover. And I never want to experience something like that again. Although no medical cause was found, I know for a fact that one of the causes was not being my true self. I really closed myself off, and at the same time cared way too much about what people would think of me. I had a high paying job, one that people were impressed by. I liked that status, I cared for that admiration. But it was bs: it was very stressful, long hours, I didn't really enjoy it, I had no life and was lonely for years.

So I made the big decision to quit, after 8 years. Dropped everything, and took a plane to SE Asia. This is 4 years ago, and one of the best decisions I've ever made!

I am a much more positive person now, healthier and happier. Life isn't always easy, taking another direction comes with its own challenges. I make way less money now, for example. Life is more uncertain when you no longer live the traditional 9-5. And at the same time it's been very rewarding. Had some profound experiences, met so many new cool people, lived on a tropical island for a year (ain't nobody taking that away from me anymore!).

And I have seen some of those synchronicities that you mention in my life too. I'd like to think that if I'm steering my life in the right direction, things start to fall into place. Things start to happen. This may sound a bit vague without a specific example, but you probably know what I mean.

What my burnout has taught me is to not take life – and my health – for granted. Every morning, I say to myself: "May what I do today be for the benefit of all that cross my path." That one is inspired by Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk (supposedly the 'happiest man alive'). It does by no means make a Mother Theresa. But by setting this intention, I get into a positive mindset for the day, where I not just focus on me, but also on how I can make the lives of people I bump into that day just that tiny little bit better.

And even a marathon starts with taking that first step, right?

That is also my intention here on Steemit: be positive, interact with other positive Steemians, create quality posts, and become a valued member of this amazing community!

Thanks again for sharing @chiefmappster. And keep these posts coming!