Sometimes it helps to put our lives into perspective. As Humphrey Bogart so memorably put in Casablanca “the problems of two little people don’t make a whole pile of beans in this crazy world” – I say it was memorable but I suspect that’s not verbatim.
The idea’s memorable, or rather, it’s worth remembering.
What’s the most recent complaint you had about your life circumstances? Was it that you don’t have enough to eat or a roof over your head? Or was it something more like you don’t have an iPad or the person next door didn’t behave the way they should (according to you)? That your boss doesn’t appreciate you or your staff don’t work hard enough?
I’m not asking you to consider these questions in an attempt to make you feel bad (I can’t make you feel anything anyway) and if you do that’s just some guilt coming up – which is a mistake that won’t actually help anyone.
I’m not asking in order you immediately set up a standing order to Oxfam (or similar) – though there could be worse outcomes of your Friday afternoon.
I’m asking because most of the people lucky enough to be able to read this blog (as opposed to lucky enough to actually read it which even I wouldn’t claim) would do well to recognise and appreciate their good luck – since appreciation is one of the key principles leading to happiness (and abundance).
Most people reading this will have access to the internet and so the vast resources and potential of the internet, they will have warm homes and be reasonably fed. They will probably have a television and a comfortable bed of their own (or to share with a partner). They have the time to surf the net, and they’re probably sitting in the dry on a comfortable chair.
Even in that short paragraph, some of which must apply to you, there’s quite a lot to be appreciative of, to be grateful for.
Seriously, appreciating the little things in life opens you up to receiving the big things (I can’t not hear Frankie Howerd ending that sentence with a “Madam”, click on his name for a clip) – and even if that isn’t true, appreciating what we have instantly makes us feel a little better.
