We often ignore what we have, in pursuit of what we don’t have. We often take for granted what we have and count it as nothing, while fixated on illusory outcomes which we think will make us happier and more secure. But we would be further ahead and less stressed if we focused more on what we already have.
It’s good to leave ourselves a little bit hungry anyway. It helps us appreciate what we have and it helps with clarity of thought. When you are not focused on getting, you become aware of what you already have and things “taste” better.
We live in a time (and for most of us in the West, a place) when it should be particularly easy to identify something to be thankful for. There’s less to want when you really appreciate what you have. If you got everything you wanted, something on that list would likely be the cause of your undoing. What seems unfair sometimes conspires in our favor and saves us from ourselves.
Maybe the 80/20 rule would work well with this: Spend 20% of your time and efforts pursuing what you don’t have and 80% appreciating and making the best of what you already have.
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