Thankyou for taking the time to write a lengthy reply, @moderndayhippie. I must say that until recently I've never been a big believer in Universal signs but I’m starting to feel there really could be a bit of direction given to you in your life from an unknowable source of energy. Even the challenges that I faced over the last two years seem to have been stepping stones to learn more about myself and actually learn a lot about other people and how to live in this world.

I feel like I've never lived aiming for a materialistic life like the majority go through, although I’ve been into cars because the friends I had were, and that lead me down the same path. I believe the truth has always been in me but now it seems more apparent, I just wish I discovered this before meeting my wife as I don't know if she could live a minimalistic life with me. Money seems to be like a cancer on the mind, selling our time and souls to put numbers in a bank account, which is why I have created art for 30 years but very rarely tried to ever sell it because I believe it comes from a place which can't be bought like some throw away item. I would rather do a piece of meaningful art for free then to paint something without true intention but just for money. Not saying that all my art is meaningful, often being silly cartoons, but even they are done with an intention to brighten someone’s day more than getting myself a reward.

I wish I been shown Buddhism earlier but it is what it is. It was brought into my life by an ex Special Air Service Regiment mate of mine, who himself discovered Buddhism after taking acid and reading ‘Zen Mind, Beginners Mind’. I find this very interesting that he could go from essentially a trained killer to a peaceful vegan pacifist. He suggested that I should learn to practice meditation and yoga. He told me this about 10 years ago but it’s taken until now to realised why he suggested it. Oddly enough when I contacted him a few months ago I told him I was reading ‘Zen Mind, Beginners Mind’ and he also said that he had started to read it again as well. Coincidence! This in itself was a lesson for me because I realised that even after practicing something for a very long time you can still learn by understanding you are always a beginner.

Thanks again for your quality reply as it's difficult to find people that are on the same wave length. I do feel like I want to dedicate my life to helping people more than creating wealth which is why I got a new job helping troubled youths and I also enjoy posting quality content on Steemit regardless of the rewards. The human interaction on here is much more that I've had in a long time I feel because of social media disconnections. Maybe one day it could be a method of putting food on the table but if or when that happens I’ll keep posting :)