This week I turned 38.
Two years ago I was broke, single, basically unemployed, virtually homeless and carrying a mountain of debt.
I wrote a post about it. Ten reasons I still felt rich.
That post found a lot of people in the same hole, trying to climb out. It became something bigger than a birthday note.
So here I am again, two years on. A lot has changed. The gratitude hasn’t.
Here are ten things I’m grateful for every single day:
1. Life
The odds of being born are insane.
Like, just to be sitting here and writing this post is insane.
We are born to live. Not just exist. We only have this one opportunity to experience all of the beauty this world affords us before we pass on.
This truth is not lost on me, ever. Not even for one day.
I spent the majority of my life in darkness: late nights, drug-fuelled benders, gambling binges, depression cycles. I did things that tainted my soul: cheating, lying, stealing, but the most damaging was the hate I had for myself.
Now, regardless of where I go or what I do, I try my best to remain in the light.
2. Body
Despite some battles with my health over the past couple of years, I am still so grateful for a body that has not fully given out.
My body still does everything it needs to:
Tie my laces
Walk up stairs
Type and write
Listen and speak
Carry heavy things
Chronic injuries have plagued my ability to stay consistent with my training, and it has felt frustrating at times. When you can’t train to maintain your physical and mental health, depression can set in.
A doctor visit I had very recently reminded me of how much more I have to give.
Doc told me, “Biologically, you’re heading into the prime of your life”.
Not sure if that’s just cope (because he’s my age), but I like it and need to take responsibility for achieving that feeling of being in my prime. Thank the lord that I have a body that can still get there.
3. Family
My family is big, loud and crazy.
And I love them with all of my heart.
My parents (Paul & Pauline) are lifelong creatives and musicians. Dad is quiet and Stoic; Mum is loud and empathetic.
Until recently, I didn’t really know where my desire to be creative had come from. I had this urge inside of me to make stuff. To constantly be creating and turning my thoughts and ideas into pieces of content or art.
With the benefit of age and experience, I see clearly now that I come from a creative family. My parents have always been this way, and they have given that gift to us.
My siblings are all creative in their own ways—they also have very deep minds and big hearts.
My best mates, who I can share anything with.
They mean everything to me.
4. Partner
I met a girl in early 2024. We got together in early 2025, and she has fundamentally changed my world.
We live together and are slowly building a life of our own.
She’s kind and has so much love to give.
She’s also thoughtful, intellectual, funny and creative.
The relationship is healthy and dynamic. We challenge each other to be better versions of ourselves every day.
Love is great, but finding someone to share this life with is so rewarding.
We laugh at the small things and explore the big things.
We experiment, learn and grow together.
She’s my best friend.
5. Community
The little pocket of the world I live in has become my home, and it is filled with like-minded souls trying to find their way.
My community is full of dreamers who seek life’s truths.
We dream together.
We motivate each other.
We talk deeply about life.
We challenge one another.
We come from all different walks of life.
But one commonality is our energy. We know we are capable of bending our worlds to meet our will. So, together we try.
6. Job
In late 2024 (just after writing the original post), I returned to Melbourne and was almost immediately both jobless and homeless.
After a chance interaction, I was given an opportunity to start at a company.
I knew nothing about the company, industry, or role.
I put my head down and worked hard.
So grateful I was for the opportunity, I made sure to leave no stone unturned.
I became one of the most reliable people in the company and was eventually promoted to campaign manager.
This company has given me confidence, consistency and a place to call home at a time when nobody wanted me.
I will never forget that.
7. Creation
I get to make stuff every day.
This post, for example... I’m writing this on my laptop at 6 in the morning before my Sunday begins.
Without creation, I would not feel like myself; it is a part of me.
Over the last two years I have done a lot of it:
Last year I released an EP called CHAMP CAMP
I have written on Substack every Sunday this year (37 newsletters so far)
Recorded a bunch of podcasts
Released music videos for Tainted, ATG and HOP THE 12
Played shows, made carousels, and created a tonne of short-form content
I love it all.
Creating used to be for others. Something I did because I wanted to be famous or look cool.
Now I create for me.
I create because I need to. Because I wouldn’t be me without it.
I create each and every day because it's my goal to put it into the world and die empty. If I inspire others along the way, great. If all I did was make it easier for my soul then that is also ok.
8. Melbourne
Woy Woy is where I grew up (mostly), but Melbourne is now my home.
I finally feel like I belong, like I have a community to call my own.
This city really is something special.
It’s big enough to be inspiring but small enough to not be overwhelming.
The people are friendly and interesting.
The sporting and arts communities are bustling. It’s the kind of place that can inspire you every day (if you let it).
It’s vast, dynamic, inclusive and bursting with culture.
Truly remarkable.
9. Access
The amount of access I have each day is still crazy to me.
Public transport that runs consistently to all parts of the city.
A health care system that has treated me amazingly well over the course of the last two years.
Food. Art. Sport. Business. Anything you can dream of!
I live in one of the most accessible suburbs in one of the most accessible cities in one of the most accessible countries.
Surrounded by the Yarra River, on the doorstep of the city, around the corner from the MCG, and two tram stops from the hospitality-dense North Side suburbs of Fitzroy, Collingwood and Carlton.
Access is one’s ability to take part in the system. To absorb the benefits of a country and government that cares for its citizens.
Access is a privilege, and I do not take it for granted.
10. Stoicism
Last year (2025), I spent Christmas with my family on the Central Coast.
We agreed to all participate in Secret Santa—a game where you randomly select a person to give a gift to. Our version was split up into 6 couples.
On top of Secret Santa, though, I wanted to do something for everyone individually.
I pondered…
Unique presents? Gift cards? Socks and undies?
I decided to go with something different… something sacred to me, something a little selfish (if I’m being honest).
I decided to get everyone their own unique version of Meditations.
I purchased seven copies of the most important Stoic text by Marcus Aurelius because I knew that someday, somehow, these gifts would make a return on the investment.
Everything else would have been considered rubbish after a week.
My Stoic practice has come a long way in 2 years.
I turn to it every single day, in all situations.
Stoicism kept me focused when the world was trying to shut me out. It kept me motivated where none was to be found. It kept me calm when pressure and responsibility mounted.
Without Stoicism, I really don’t know where I would be.
I am living the good life.
Not because I have stuff or things, but because I am present and aware. The good life is not conditional. It’s a state of being.
It’s my truth.
Final Thoughts
Two years ago I had nothing and felt rich.
Today I have more, and I feel exactly the same.
That’s the whole point. The good life was never conditional. It’s not something you arrive at when the bank balance or the relationship or the job lines up. It’s a state of being. A practice.
Stoicism taught me that, and I’ve tried to live it every day since.
Grateful to be here. Grateful you’re reading.
Happy birthday to me. And if it’s not your birthday—happy unbirthday, gang.
With gratitude,
SAV
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Every week I show up and write the truth about the practice—gratitude, discipline and building a life you're proud of.