In life, we often take a lot of things for granted. The air we breathe, the cloths we wear, the family we have, the friends we keep, the good health we enjoy, the job we have etc. We rarely take time out to appreciate the basic things we have, to us, they are mere 'little things'. We are too busy pursuing big dreams to notice how much we already have in our life.
We're fond of underestimating the importance of the little things we have. Our eyes are always on the bigger goals, they are all that matters. If only we knew that the undervalued little things are the most important. They are the ones that keeps us going until the bigger and better things arrives. They are like the stepping stones to the greater things. They are not just stepping stones, they are the fuel we run on to get the ideal things we are aiming at.
It sucks that we keep downgrading what we already have. For instance, you keep complaining about how little your current job is paying you, you cut a frustrated figure each time you realise how much energy you're investing in it, and how small the reward is. You keep naming the things you could've gotten if you had a better job.
Now, you've finally gotten the big fancy job, with huge financial reward and all. You keep reminding people how much you suffered at your old job, mentioning all the things you couldn't afford. When you look back at the time you spent at the little job, you see nothing good, all you see is a time in your life that you wasted.
News flash buddy, that little job deserves a lot more credit!
Have you ever wondered what you could've survived on before you got your job?
What do you think got you prepared for the fancy job?
Have you considered the life skills you learnt from that job?
If not for anything else, that dreadful and demanding job made you tough. If you could survive that, then you can survive anything.
So that little job deserves a lot more credit!
Our lack of value for the little things is not just evident in our career paths, it spans through all facets of our lives, in our relationships, emotions, gratitude, property, gifts etc.
I don't have anything against being ambitious, envisioning and working towards much greater things. You can't afford not to be ambitious, there should always be that Oliver Twist in you, always asking for more. However, once we begin to realise and acknowledge the importance of the little things we have in our lives, I'm sure we'll begin to experience a greater sense of fulfilment and satisfaction.
So take time out to acknowledge and enjoy the little things in your life.
