How can I Learn to Appreciate what I Have in Life?

I appreciate everything I have because there was a time in my life when I had nothing but the clothes on my back and a few coins in my pocket. I lived on the streets and was one minor setback away from ruining my life in a way that couldn't be fixed.

But I got some help from both myself and from others and now I have a job, a home, warm clothes and a hot meal every night. Anytime I feel myself getting unsatisfied, or wishing I had more, I just think about what it was like to be completely down and out.

Being humble is more difficult than it gets credit for sometimes. But for me what works is thinking about people who have less than me, often far, far less. How can I lust after more and more things when my standard of living is already right at the top of the world? Thinking relatively really helps you appreciate what you have.

@seag47 – Though it's not good to develop an addiction to pain pills, some people do need mood altering drugs to help them get through life. I'm talking about antidepressants.

People who are clinically depressed may find it impossible to appreciate the things in their lives, but it isn't their fault. They have a chemical imbalance that needs to be corrected through medication, especially if therapy doesn't work.

I've had friends who became much more appreciative and grateful for what they had after their antidepressants kicked in. Now, I don't think this would work for someone who wasn't clinically depressed, but for those who are, the drugs can do wonders.

I feel much more appreciative and loving when I'm on pain pills. This isn't something that I recommend to anyone as a way to enjoy what you have, but it is a fortunate side effect of taking them. Suddenly, everything is wonderful and I love everyone!

Sometimes, all it takes is a bad dream to awaken you to the greatness of what you do have. I had a dream once that my house burned down and I lost several family members. It was so long and real that when I woke up, it took several seconds for me to realize it had been a dream.

I was so grateful for my house and my family for the rest of the day. I had just a taste of what life would be like without them, and it had been like a vision to me that made me appreciate everything and everyone so much.

I was asking myself this question just yesterday. In the middle of the afternoon, I got the blues. I felt sad that I'm in my thirties, yet I still don't own a house.

Suddenly, I decided that it might make me feel better if I focused my energy on improving the appearance of the house that I rent. Doing a little homemaking would at least make me feel like I was proud of the place where I lived, whether or not I could legally claim it as my own.

I cleaned the spider webs off the front of the house and swept the porch and the steps. I moved some junk off the porch and placed some fresh cedar branches in a huge flower pot.

Just that little bit of work went a long way toward making me appreciate my home. I think that we have to be where we are in life, and by that I mean fully be in each moment. Make the most of what you are given.

I don't want bad things to happen to people, but sometimes it takes seeing how bad off someone else is before I am really thankful for what I have. This might seem like a selfish way to look at things, but it does make me realize I need to be more grateful.

My mom always reminded us to count our blessings. As a kid you didn't think too much about this, but now I realize what she meant. Like this article says, I also realize it takes conscious effort to do this.

If you take the path of least resistance it is easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged about the things in life that get you down. This is also something that has to be done every day. It isn't a one time thing of deciding you are going to start appreciating what you have.

I find the same thing holds true when it comes to marriage. If I focus on all the positive things about my spouse, the negative things don't bother me nearly as much. On the other hand, if all I do is think about everything negative, it is hard to appreciate all the good things about him.

When my dad came home from the hospital after colon cancer surgery and treatment, he was struck by how good home looked to him. He said the grass never seemed greener and the flowers never more beautiful than the day he got home. It is times like those that help you to really appreciate the little things in life that can bring much joy.

I have been through some tough times in my life and through it all have tried to develop an attitude of gratitude. I realize there are many things I can't control, but I can control my attitude and how I respond to a situation.

I started keeping a gratitude journal where I would write down something each day that I was thankful for. Once you start doing this, you realize how many things you truly do have to be thankful for. You will still have hard times and challenging days, but it helps to focus on the good things in your life.

@pastanaga - I'll bet they have deep community ties as well. A lot of research as shown that if you want to know how to appreciate what you have, it helps to have a lot of close stable ties with a community.

The other thing that can help is to help others. Not so much so that you can compare your life to theirs, but just because it makes you happier in general which can help with the appreciation.

And she said she felt so lucky to live in such a beautiful house. To be honest, I think it's because they aren't exposed to so much advertising and the competitiveness that seems to pervade the air here. Kids make do with what they've got for entertainment and the adults do the same.

To me, it helps to think of positively and appreciation as being an act of will. I used to think of it as pure luck whether or not I woke up in a good mood or whether I was going to be happy that day. To some extent it still is, of course.

But I can change it. I can look around my life and decide to be happy with it.

No matter how awful my current circumstances are, there's always something to appreciate. I know that sounds cheesy, but it really works for me.

I guess it helps that I enjoy nature and history and all those sorts of things, so I can always be grateful for the interesting world around me.

Symiana: That sounds like an inspiring type of newsletter.

So true! I spend every day doing my best to encourage people- I write a newsletter that promises to teach people something new every day.

Very profound and very true -- at least in my own experience. I think we can be grateful and appreciative of what we have now while still striving to achieve the things we may prefer in our lives.

I study the teachings of Abraham Hicks. They teach you that by spending your focus on appreciating what you do have, you will allow the things that you desire to come to you. You see when you focus on negative things, you are creating resistance and blocking the things you desire from coming into your life. Appreciating what is all around you is what lifts all resistance and allows your desires to manifest into your life.