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At each moment of our lives we are in the never-ending pursuit of getting more, whether that is things, skills or experiences, but we usually forget to take a moment and appreciate all the things that we currently have. No matter how much money we get, or how long we live, it is very probable that we will still want more.

A considerable contribution in this regard is being given by social media, which poses only the bright sides of a lot of people. Your friends are only posting the things they want to tell you about, giving you sometimes the impression that you are the only one who is in trouble and have difficulties. They have all these happy moments with their loved ones. They have the opportunity to go to all these amazing places. They have all these job promotions. They have so many good friends that they hang out with each weekend. However, we might forget that they have their own downtimes too. It is inevitable that bad things happen to anyone, but it does not seem that good to tell the others that you are going through some difficult times and that you are in pain.

We might feel bad that we do not have a Lambroghini, the latest iPhone, or our own yacht and envy the others that have them, wishing we were luckier. However, we should remind ourselves that there are a lot of other people in the world that would only dream about the things that we currently have. There are a lot of people who would wish to have only a moment to see the world, as they were born blind. There are so many children that can only imagine how fast they could run, as they have no legs. There are so many people who have lost their family members in the war, or that do not have a house in which they can live, or many other things that we simply take for granted and never take the moment to be grateful that we have.

Here are 10 things that we are probably taking for granted and never took the moment to feel grateful about:

  1. The ability to see, walk and run.
  2. The ability to speak fluently.
  3. The ability to read in a foreign language.
  4. A family that supports you towards your goals.
  5. Friendly and supportive work colleagues
  6. The opportunity to learn from some of the best universities in the world for free.
  7. The opportunity to have a restful sleep in a comfortable bed and a quiet environment.
  8. The opportunity to afford so many things in a local market.
  9. The freedom to walk freely in your city without fear.
  10. The opportunity to communicate with people thousands of kilometers away.

It seems as a list with so many obvious things, but taking the time to ponder about these things can not only give us the impression about the importance of so many great things that we have, but it can also make us happier and feel better.

I am not saying that you should stop trying to get new things, but I am simply trying to kindly remind myself and you about the importance and the necessity of taking with a serious consideration the fact of being grateful about the things we currently have. If we do not have a sense of gratitude about the things that are currently in our possession, I am afraid that we might forget to be grateful later on as well, simply because we might feel desperate for even more. As Tony Robbins says, “Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure” We should notice the small things that happen to us and not become aware only about the big ones. Small things are great things.