Chapter 1: The Ease of Appreciation
Once you begin the habit of appreciation, it becomes quite easy. It is a preferable way to look at the world, rather than ignoring the beauty in life to focus on the bad and the worries swirling your head.
All you have to do is appreciate the little things that you encounter throughout your journey on Earth. Your appreciation will make you feel happier and more fulfilled. You will feel better, and so will the people around you who have the privilege of experiencing your joy.
There is nothing hard about appreciating life, except maybe getting out of the habit of negativity. As adulthood has put distance between you and your child self, you may have fallen into the habit of worrying about things and thus taking the world for granted. By doing this, you have created some very bad habits. But these habits can be broken. Just by taking the time to survey the world around you once a day, you can begin to take on the better habit of loving life and loving yourself.
Anyone can do it. And everyone should do it. But we often overlook things or take things for granted. As a whole, the world is very preoccupied. People hurry along, looking at their phones, worried about dinner or the upcoming meeting. They fail to consider that these worries they have are not very significant at all. The worlds that they have built with their worries, their responsibilities, and their smart phones is not actually grounded on anything concrete. Half of the things they worry about will not even come to pass, or will not be relevant in just a year. Yet people give a massive amount of power to these worries and fail to focus on what is real and what is concrete.
Many people get into the terrible habit of ignoring the world around them. They get so wrapped up in their worries and concerns that they no longer appreciate the looks on their children’s faces in the mornings or the sound of birds singing in the trees in the park. They think that the world will hold still for them while they take care of the next big project or concern. They take the stillness and security of their worlds for granted. Then, one day, a terrible tragedy alters their world completely. Or they wake up and realize that a lot of time has passed and they have missed out on so much out of willing blindness. They wish that they had paid a little more attention and appreciated the things and people around them more.
The large amounts of mental illness like anxiety and depression often arise from this habit of ignoring the world around us. As people fail to appreciate the beautiful little things in life, they give all of their mental energy to trivial worries that seem so monumental at the time. Usually they devote this energy to work, because we all need money to survive. Unfortunately, the need for money can grow into the inadvertent abandonment of life outside of work and non-material things that have nothing to do with money. There is no happiness is that cold world of worry and work that offers no play. It is a fake world, and a sorrowful one. No one can stay full of vitality and lust for life if they focus on such a world.
Depression and anxiety grow because people lose what is most important to them. They stop really living, and they stop enjoying life around them. They become automatons, and they hate every minute that they are stuck in. All they think about is the little fake world that they have created, which offers none of the warmth of Nature and family. These poor people do not realize that a simple readjustment in thinking can reawaken their spirits and their will to live.
I do not want to see you become depressed and empty as you focus on a world that offers you nothing beyond the material. I do not want to see you wake up one day with the world as you know it gone, and your heart full of regret that you never once stopped and smelled the roses. I am sure that you do not want those things for yourself, either.
After reading this book and learning to appreciate the little things in life, you can become at least ten percent happier. But I’m sure that you will become even happier than that. You will renew your lust for life as you realize how much there is to live for. Your gratitude and positivity will flourish, and there will be no more room for depression and boredom.
I suggest that you begin to treat every day as a new adventure. Imagine yourself as Indiana Jones, undertaking a new treasure hunt the moment you wake up. Instead of just hurrying to work or going about your normal routine feeling like you do not have time for anything special, go try that new coffee place, sniff the roses in the park, or stop to admire a scenic view. Instead of crashing in front of the TV with a beer after work, too exhausted to do anything, actually start to undertake that project that you have been putting off, play a new game with your kids, or try to cook a new kind of food that you have never attempted to cook before. I guarantee that your energy will grow exponentially when you start to act, because you are not tired after work, you are just drained of energy and uninspired.
Start trying new things and exploring yourself and the world around you. Have conversations with strangers and try new classes and new workout routines. The world offers a great deal to explore, and you may just find something you really enjoy doing. There is no need to lie around, doing nothing and feeling trapped by your mental blockages, when the world is ripe for the picking.
But you do not have to try anything new to renew your interest in life. Just taking a moment to appreciate the activities you already do and the things you already have can restore your vigor and vitality. Your life is actually quite full and wonderful, you have just gotten used to it and you have started to ignore it. You will be surprised when you look around and realize all the joyful, beautiful things that you do have that are there to make you happy.