What if you lived your life believing that you had already accomplished your dreams? How might that change your mental state? What would you do if you weren’t worried about where you were headed because you had already arrived at your destination? Would you take more time to smell the roses? Would you find yourself feeling more peaceful? Would you be more appreciative of the journey and how you got to where you are?
My bet is that you would. So my question for you is, what are you waiting for? Why are you waiting to get somewhere else to be grateful for where you’re at. The world has conditioned us to believe that the journey is something to be endured only to arrive at our destination. But really, isn’t life meant to be lived, felt, experienced? And shouldn’t we feel grateful for those experiences we encounter on the journey of getting where we are going? So why are you missing it? Why are you belittling all that you are right now for a belief that what is coming will be, has to be, needs to be better?
I have a feeling your answer to that question is that you aren’t happy where you are? So what is there to relish? What is there to be grateful for when you’re working a horrible job while going to school in order to forge a better future? What if I told you that it is that very desperate and debilitating mindset that is actually generating that miserable experience you are feeling?
I know that we as humans do not generally like to accept responsibility for our misfortunes, but indulge me here. What if I told you that learning to find gratitude in where you are can transform your current experience and the negative vicious cycle you are generating begins to shift into a journey full of potential, opportunities and growth?
What would change by shifting that perspective? I am telling you everything would change. The reasoning here is two-fold. First, the most rewarding feeling you can have is to learn to appreciate where you are at. I mean, let’s face it. None of us are actually promised a tomorrow. And we can never truly be anywhere other than where we are at any present moment. So why are we waiting for tomorrow to find value in our lives? All we are ever guaranteed is where we are and what we have right now. The second reason living your life with gratitude for where you are, not just where you are going, impacts how you are communicating with the world about who you are and what you are attracting to yourself. When you focus on all that you do not have, you are sending a message to the universe that you are lacking in your life.
I know what you are probably thinking, Well I am? So why wouldn’t the world respond by giving me what I want? But that just isn’t how it works. It is sort of like the notion of misery loving company. The more you complain, the more you attract others who complain. Meanwhile, those who are trying to look at the more positive side of life tend to distance themselves from the complainer because it is hard to remain positive in the presence of negativity. And by distancing themselves from that negativity, they become more in tune with themselves and all that is good in their lives. They, in turn, tend to start noticing other things that are good around them. Other opportunities seem to present themselves that may have always been there, but they may have been too busy being negative to notice them. Perhaps others weren’t interested in sharing the opportunities with them on the assumption that they simply wouldn’t be interested since nothing seems to make them happy.
The ideology behind this is that when you live your life longing for what you do not have, you are coming from a place of lack. It actually affects how you make decisions and interact in the world. Now, of course, I am not suggesting that you spend money you do not have or anything of that nature. However, if you approach your life grateful for what you already have, you tend to make different choices, better choices that may lead you to your “better life”.
Maybe you are going through something challenging right now like changing careers or finishing school. If you are constantly focused on the struggle that change and starting over often tend to bring, then you are going to make more defeated choices. This could cause you to miss an extraordinary opportunity because you were so focused on your despair.
What if you imagined that you were already where you wanted to be? What if you recognized that where you are is setting you up for the future, not the waiting room for your future? How would that change your interaction with others? You would likely be a more pleasant person to be around. You would maybe make a new connection that might lead you to that big break. I really cannot promise you what would change, but things would change. Because you are now CHOOSING to be grateful for who you are and where you are in your life. And Gratitude is a powerful thing!