Most people agree that being grateful is important if we are to have a positive life. Being grateful makes we see the bright side of life that turns us into positive people.
Unfortunately, we often look at what we don’t have instead of what we have, and we end up complaining instead of being grateful. Do you know what the #1 enemy of being grateful is? The #1 enemy of being grateful is taking something for granted. Taking something for granted makes we forget how miserable it would be if we didn’t have it.
Sometimes we need to experience a loss to be able to appreciate what we have.
I don’t know about you, but I would better not wait until that happens; we should learn to appreciate the things we have without first experiencing a loss. So here I’d like to share 14 simple things to be grateful for in your daily life. While perhaps not all of them apply to you, I believe there are more that apply than don’t. Here they are:
1. You live in peace
If you read war time stories, you will realize how terrible the situation was. Lives were lost so easily. Pain, suffering, and poverty were everywhere. That we live in peace is a great blessing.
2. You have your loved ones
Many people lose their loved ones. Many people don’t even know their father and mother. So be grateful if you have yours.
3. You have good friends
Good, caring friends are something that not everyone has.
4. You are healthy
Sometimes we need to be sick to understand the blessing of being healthy. Have you experienced being sick? I have, and it makes me realize how good being healthy is.
5. You have enough financially
Don’t believe me? Go to Global Rich List and prove it yourself.
6. You live in hygienic environment
In the past, life expectancy was very low - it was only 20-35 years in most of the human history. The main cause was not war but unhealthy environment (coupled with poor medical technologies). Now you have far better environment to live in.
7. You live in an age of medical breakthroughs
Besides having better environment, now you have much better medical technologies. Just a simple example: you have anesthetic. Can you imagine going through surgery without anesthetic? That’s how people did it for thousands of years.
8. You have electricity
Having electricity is so simple that we forget how our life would be without it. Just take a moment to imagine it. You will perhaps lose 90% of your conveniences if that happened.
9. Your computer works properly
Have you ever experienced turning on your computer only to find that it didn’t work and the data were gone? I have, and it was frustrating.
10. You can communicate in an instant
In the past, letter took months to arrive, if at all. Now you can send an email or an instant message and get it delivered in seconds.
11. You have abundant entertainment options
Even kings in the past didn’t have a fraction of what you have now. You have television, movies, and electronic games, just to name a few.
12. You live in an age of instant knowledge transfer
You can learn anything you want instantly through the Internet. In the past people might have to travel thousands of miles to find the right libraries.
13. You can travel quickly and conveniently
Your car is more convenient than past royal transport for one simple reason: shock absorber. And you can travel around the world in hours instead of months or years like Magellan and Columbus.
14. You have good law in place
Before good law codes (like Code of Hammurabi) were introduced, anybody could do anything they wanted and there was virtually no protection of rights. Now you can feel safe and protected.
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These 14 things are simple, but our life would be miserable without them. And I’m sure there are still many more things I don’t cover here. So learn to appreciate what you have and you will realize what a blessed life is yours.