Entitled to Nothing, Appreciate Everything

Having consciousness on some distant space rock in a world where there are millions of ways to die is pretty miraculous right? Yet we complain how horrible our lives are because we have stubborn ideas of what constitutes the perfect life. We think we are entitled to good health, a fat paycheck, perfect relationships, and a pillow of feathers to pamper us everywhere we go. When things don’t work out that way and they never do we’re suddenly left feeling cheated, ignoring the fact that our standards are so unrealistically high that we destine ourselves to be miserable. Once you realize that you are entitled to nothing in a life where so much could go wrong you’ll also realize that happiness comes from appreciating everything, even the little things. I’m the kind of person always looking for more excitement in life, some change to make things interesting, some dramatic life event to break the boring and mundane routine. Yet when you’re sick at Christmas like I was this year and you can’t do the things you assumed you were entitled to you desire nothing more than to do the same old things, just to be in good health and company with family you would do anything in the world for. You may have had that opportunity countless times before but took it for granted because the routine of blessing was just not good enough for you. Now of course I’m not invalidating the fact that our lives are incomplete. There are so many ways our finances, relationships, and circumstances could be better. What I am saying is that constantly focusing on what we don’t have is not a great formula for happiness and causes us to ignore the fact that today as you read this there are so many blessings you possess that you are not entitled to.

    If we have food in our bellies, clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads, and people who love us we are blessed. Many people have circumstances that are worse than yours and yet we greedily complain about how we’re missing all the things in life that we think we are entitled to. Yet there was still a great chance that you could have been the one who was bedridden because of cancer, whose home was taken away because of war, whose life was bereft of basic necessities. Being able to wake up and chase your dreams in a free country in good health surrounded by people who love you sounds like the dream, and needing money, social status, more followers, or anything else that we mistakenly believe will complete our lives just seems irrelevant when you learn what truly matters, that is appreciating the little blessings in life. Those little blessings can go away easier than we want to admit so cherish them while you have them. When you develop rapport with someone and you’re hitting it off well and it feels like you could become best friends appreciate that, for life events will change and suddenly who was becoming your friend feels like a mere acquaintance. When you have the opportunity to get to work, support your family, and expand your social network appreciate that, for when illness stops you in your tracks you’ll finally get the perspective you need to appreciate what you are not entitled to, but what you are blessed with. To be honest, I no longer have to try to win a game where everyone loses, that is the petty game of comparison that causes people to complain that their lives are horrible. Instead, I’m going to live my life appreciating the little things, the fresh air, clean clothes, and the confident demeanor of a grateful person.

        As I enter a new year I am so excited for what this year could be. 2024 brought so much unexpected progress and I can’t even know where to start when dreaming what 2025 will look like. What I will do is come into the new year with this resolution. Nothing is guaranteed, therefore everything is a blessing. The good life has been there all along. It’s time to start appreciating it.