I was contacted by someone earlier today who expressed that they needed some advice on how they were feeling. They expressed to me that they often feel like they have missed out on something in life, which makes them sad. I’ve heard this often, so I wanted to share a few words about this.
When a person is feeling this way, it can usually boil down to what they tend to focus on. Focusing on lack is usually the culprit. When we focus on what we lack, then lack is what we experience. You must train yourself to focus on what you have and not focus on what you don’t have. You will find that when you begin to focus more on what you have, focus more on your many blessings, and become truly thankful for what you already have, you will begin to see significant changes. When you change your thinking, you change your world.
I traveled to the West Indies, and have seen people literally living in small shacks, with dirt floors, no water, electric, refrigerator, oven, or any other convenience that many of us take simply for granted. An amazing and significant thing I noticed from these people was how happy they appeared to be. Smiling, singing, welcoming you in to their home, speaking with great cheer and enthusiasm. Even under their unfortunate circumstances, their attitude was unbelievable.
I realized on my return just how fortunate we are. I also realized that thankfulness creates gratitude which generates contentment, which then leads to peace within. I became much more thankful after this experience, and began to take nothing for granted. When a person is experiencing lack in their life, they need to turn their focus around, and focus on the many things in their life to be thankful for. Take just a couple of minutes just in your home, look around and see how fortunate you are. Be careful not to complain because roses have thorns, be thankful that thorns have roses.
You may not be where you want to be right now in your life, but it is much better than where you could be. When you focus on what you don’t have, you will never have enough. In writing this this, I am reminded of the old adage, “I complained about my shoes until I met a man who had no feet”. If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. It’s all about your perspective.