Be Thankful (and Remain That Way)

"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a sick society." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

Consider this common scenario:  You are alone with your thoughts as they take you away from the present moment; perhaps you are looking out of a window in your office, your car or your home imagining, "If only things were different.  If only I had X amount more money, things could be so much better." 

As your thoughts travel, they take you further away with them and you might even arrive at something more like fantasy:  "If I inherited a large sum of money or won the lottery I could wipe out all of my problems -- my debt, my job, my boss, my dead-end existence -- I could build my dream house, buy a car with no maintenance problems, and become a hero by sharing money with friends, family, and charities in desperate need.  Life would be so easy and wonderful..."  A sudden noise awakens you from your fantasy and you re-enter reality with an increased feeling of discontent.

Does this sound familiar in any way?  Most of us would be dishonest if we said these thoughts, or thoughts like them, have never entered our minds.  These thoughts are certainly normal, but is normal healthy?  The short answer is No.

Thanksgiving is a time of reflection -- a time of counting our blessings and being thankful for what we have -- not of what we have not.  This is the essence of contentment but it is unfortunately not a normal behavior; it is most commonly reserved for one day of the year; however, thankfulness and contentment is something that is best practiced every day of our lives -- not just on Thanksgiving day.  This is not normal -- this is healthy.

In the spirit of remaining healthy -- of forming and maintaining habits of contentment -- perhaps you can combine the traditions of Thanksgiving with New Year's Day and form resolutions (and habits) to maintain your contentment and well-being throughout the year and throughout your life.  Here are some suggestions:

• Give Thanks Every Day:  Whether you pray, meditate, think to yourself, or share thoughts with friends or family, recall daily all of the things you are thankful for -- things that you already have and/or things that money cannot buy -- a roof over your head, clothes, food, life, health, friends, family.
• Be Amazed by Things Typically Taken for Granted:  Breathing, sight, sound, touch, a good meal, a good glass of wine, good music, a good conversation, being loved, having someone to love.
• Know That Things Can Always Be Worse:  As bad as things appear, they can always be much worse, especially if you find yourself stressed over small things, such as a traffic jam.  For example, the traffic jam may have been caused by a tragic accident.  Be thankful that you or a loved one were not involved in the accident, turn on some pleasant music and count your blessings.
• If the Event is Outside of Your Control, The Perception of it is Within Your Control:  You cannot control other people, the weather, the stock market or geo-political challenges.  Worrying about them only harms yourself.
• Be Mindful:  Stress builds quietly in the absence of mindfulness.  Being mindful is the combination of all of the previous suggestions, in addition to an acquired awareness of your own behavioral tendencies.  You are human and you are a unique personality.  Learn this, study this, and know this.  Your brain, left unchecked by the mind, will slowly form destructive habits. 

In summary: Know yourself, love yourself, and be thankful every day.  If you are not content with what you have today, you will not be content with what you have tomorrow...

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Related:

Quotes on Contentment

(Why You Need to) Get Rich Quickly!

Comments

[Guri]

Sheer truth. When looking at beautiful flowers and nature in general I feel thankful.

[Kent @ The Financial Philosopher]

Thanks, Guri, for adding your thoughts...

Kent

[Rich]

This is an excellent post. I came here through a post on The Big Picture and needed something like this today. I just dropped $3k to fix our cat's broken leg, and am a little bitter about spending the money. But you're right, things could be much, much worse.

[An American Colonial]

Some people call this the "attitude of gratitude". It helps them from getting into "stinkin thinkin".

[Kent @ The Financial Philosopher]

Good point, Rich. I'm glad the post served you well. I'm sure your good deed will come back to you some way. We have seven cats in our home and I can testify to the "cost" of healthcare! On the same note, my cats have given me much more in non-monetary ways than I can count.

Health and life cannot be replaced by money. Thanks for commenting...

[Steve M]

I've started discovering something similar to this outlook over the past year or so. I feel as though I already won the lottery by being born to loving, honest parents AND in this country. I agree completely with this post....it helps to tolerate the minor inconveniences we all take so seriously.

[Kent @ The Financial Philosopher]

Yes, everything is relative and humans are comparing beings. Where, when and to whom one is born is not a choice. Certainly, and in an extreme example, those born into slavery or as a Jew in Nazi Germany were given circumstances much worse than most of us have on a daily basis.

Comparing our given circumstances with others much less fortunate places things into a broader and healthier perspective...

Thanks for the comment...

Kent

[Seeking]

>>"Know That Things Can Always Be Worse"

Well, this reminds me of something my father once told me. In his workplace, a factory, occasionally a mistake would be made, and someone would shout "How stupid can people be?" and the answer would be shouted back: "There's no limit!"

Another story he told me. Someone had said the following:
"Cheer up, things could get worse.
So I cheered up, and sure enough, things got worse!"