Sunday, December 2, 2012

Day 100 of Gratefulness: what I have right here and right now


We so often take what we already have for grant.  How many times have you gotten rid of something because you felt like you never really used it but once it was gone you realized how often you actually used it?    Or when you say goodbye to a friend who is moving out of town and you than realize how much they affected your life.  Or you decide to move out of a neighborhood that you have lived in for 8. 5 years because you feel like you are getting tired of it but realize as you say goodbye that there was a lot the neighborhood meant to you.  You start to appreciate it more, enjoy it more and you do not want to say goodbye.  Don’t get me wrong change is good but appreciate what you have right now and enjoy how life is just amazing.

Many years ago I read the 7 Habits of Highly Affective People written by Stephen Covey and there was one section at the beginning that always made me feel a sense of appreciation for what I already had.  The section was “Begin with the End in Mind”, which had you focus on your funeral and how you wanted to be remembered.  Besides this section of the book really helping me identify those values that are truly important to me it also gave me an opportunity to appreciate what I already had and not worry about what I did not have or wanted to have.  It forces you to really shine a light on everything around you and see the beauty that is brings to your life.  There is a lot of value when you can shift your perspective this way rather than looking at everything like a repeat, a habit, a system set on autopilot.  Take a moment and fully look for the beauty and the value in everything around you.  Pretty cool eh?

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