Exactly What are You taking for Granted?
There’s so much of our life that we simply take for granted. But does some of it matter more than we acknowledge? Are there things that we take for granted that we should be paying more attention to? Are we missing the value of inner peace (Zen) that some of the things we take for granted could provide? Could a solution that amplifies the good in our life really be as simple as developing a Pause-Acknowledge-Enjoy mindset? Improving your approach to the way you live your everyday life is important enough to find answers to these questions, so let’s find some answers.
First, consider the most important areas of your like family, work, health, financial, personal development or self-improvement, spiritual or faith, and community.
Second, and you have to trust me on this, you’ll find great value in creating a list of what you take for granted in each of the most important areas of your life. Be prepared to experience some “shock value” if you’re being totally honest with yourself as you pursue this second step. This step also provides the greatest ROI (Return On Investment) as your eyes and mind are opened to a part of your life that has been sitting dormant and, well, …been taken for granted.
Third, focusing on the things you’ve been taking for granted in life follows a direct path to what nearly every social scientist proclaims as our most powerful emotion, which is gratitude. When you focus on the lists you created in the second step, you begin to see everything with a new set of eyes. You become what I like to call “a noticer” seeing everything from a new, improved, and enhanced perspective. Sparing you the details of how the brain works; all you really need to care about is that this process provides an immediate and long-lasting feeling of joy. While we’re on this earth, anything that can increase the amount of joy we experience is worth taking action to accomplish, right?
When I personally attempted the second step, I had to find a thought process that helped me see things from a different perspective utilizing a fresh set of eyes. I quickly realized things like we don’t notice that the tree we planted a few years ago thrives just a bit more each day. We don’t notice that the mail shows up when it’s supposed to, that our civilization persists in the face of chaos, and that the lights (usually) go on when we flip a switch. I had missing out on the joy that was available each time I received compensation for the work I did. This led to me seeing my wages as a privilege vs. my old way of seeing the wages as an entitlement. Wow, what a valuable shift in perspective.
I also came to realize that moving from step two into step three in my new Pause-Acknowledge-Enjoy mindset taught me that I had been paying significantly more attention to the annoying surprises that unfold each day than I had to the persistent delights. Was I really that much of a moron? Yes, pretty much, however I had been conditioned by the news, articles, and social media I had been paying attention to more than the simple things that really matter each day.
An additional bonus has been my realization that the narrative of our time here on earth becomes our lived experience. Each of us is the director of the documentary of our personal life, deciding what gets focused on and what we choose to skip over. Have you taken for granted that YOU are the director for the story of your life? As the director, If you don’t like the way the plot of your life’s story is heading, you can simply change your focus to the things that bring you consistent joy in each chapter of your life. Consistent joy achieved through gratitude. Gratitude that’s derived from many of the things you previously took for granted (but no longer do).
It’s important for me to share that I believe all of you reading this already embrace a level of gratitude for many of the positive things that impact your life. I also feel like I wrote this article to be like one of those tv salespeople proclaiming, “but wait, there’s MORE!” with an effort to offer a new perspective for you to embrace that will increase your joy and improve the narrative of your life. So, will you at least take this 3-step mindset of Pause-Acknowledge-Enjoy out for a test-drive? Regardless of your starting point, it will improve the current and future chapters of your life. After all, you ARE the director of your life’s story.
For good measure and a little bit of inspiration, I’ll finish with a quote from Zig Ziglar who said “You cannot become what you need to be by remaining what you are. So, get busy pondering all the things you currently take for granted. The gold mine of joy is right there in your mind. Hey…I Believe In YOU! GiddyUp!