Appreciation

I have been thinking about something I heard come out of my very own mouth that made way too much sense. I said it without really thinking, but heck, that’s probably when the brightest ideas happen. The exact phrase was, “We don’t have that money, so if we don’t get it, we aren’t any worse off than we are right now and we’re doing pretty well.” Wow, that is profound. I never realized that I would be the one to step out of the mind set that it is possible to “lose” something that you never had. I am astonished at how this simple thought has changed my outlook in such a small amount of time. It’s not quite “life-changing,” but let’s call it “life-altering.”

There is a difference from living life in a frugal manner to living with a poverty mentality. To me, thinking that you never have anything to spare and that every little loss sets you back to the stone ages is never going to get you anywhere but depressed and unhappy. It’s very important to realize the ways to enhance your life naturally, without placing too much pressure on finances. That said, however, finances are still a major concern for society and each of us individually- as it rightfully should be. The way things are set up in our society today, money is mandatory to live. I am a testament to that. I have been in places financially that someone with no assets to show for it should never have been. Okay, I admit that it wasn’t me that created that mess- but I was an equal partner on finding a way out.

Some days I find it hard to appreciate what I have and feel foolish and selfish because my life is so rich with people who care about me and my boyfriend. We have close family and friends, even neighbors that we are just so lucky to have. Our duplex, the steal we get on rent, the sheer convenience of our location- there is just so much to be happy about. In fact we are 100% debt free and able to save plenty more than we spend. It’s amazing what we’ve been able to accomplish together.

So here is my post today, about finding ways to appreciate the amazing things that make such a tremendous impact in our lives that we tend to overlook. I’d like to hear the ways you have found to “count your blessings” or just appreciate living life. Maybe we can all learn a little form each other today and find new ways to let go of guilt, jealousy and other feelings that hold us back from our full potential.