As we grow older, we may focus more on the things we wish we had as opposed to appreciating the things we already have. We may be inclined to feel envy towards other people who have what we desire. We may even think that those people have what they do not deserve. When we have this perspective on life, we are focusing on the negative. We are doing ourselves a disservice when we magnify the importance of achieving our desires rather than contemplating the good that we already possess. Why is it that we are more likely to focus on our desires rather than on our blessings? Dark Joseph Ravine believes that focusing more on what we lack in life instead of focusing on what is already there can be the ultimate cause of pain and suffering in life.
We often struggle to understand that certain things in life were meant for certain people, and this may or may not include ourselves. Therefore, becoming upset at the fact that someone else has something we want is pointless. It does nothing but ruin our quality of life. Let us rather work on accepting what was meant for us. Ravine notes, “Life is too fleeting to be chasing after what we don’t have. Let us instead enjoy every moment we are alive.” Ravine emphasizes the importance of realizing that we are not here forever. When we internalize this concept, we can then begin appreciating every moment of our lives.
Focusing more on blessings than desires is our way of showing gratitude and feeling fortunate for what we have been given. Gratitude is essential to our maintaining happiness. Ravine believes we will not appreciate our current acquisitions if we can’t be grateful for the things we currently have. We should work on our acceptance of what we currently have. When we appreciate what is already there, we are opening the gates of abundance. We make ourselves into vessels to receive more. Happiness and dissatisfaction results from our lack of appreciation. When we feel we deserve more, we are overlooking the good we already possess.
We may not feel very blessed or perhaps find ourselves in a difficult situation. We may find ourselves faced with a difficult challenge that seems impossible to surmount. However, we should be mindful that there are those who are in more unfortunate circumstances than we are. If we are healthy, have a place to live, and can make a living, that is a blessing. Ravine notes, “We can’t take for granted the people we have supporting us in our trying times.”
When we focus on blessings by appreciating every moment of our lives, this will likely result in our experiencing additional blessings, increased happiness, and life satisfaction. We may not witness the emergence of these blessings immediately, but if we practice enough patience and display dignity and grace, it is likely we will see positive changes in our everyday lives.
