I was listening to the Jocko Willink podcast today and I heard him talk about a book that he read. He was talking about how good we have it in life and how many people just continually complain about things that should be complained about.
When you compare any of our lives to those of some of these soldiers that he tells the stories of, you realize that your life is just so amazing. I know that that’s the feeling that I got when I heard his message.
The Little Luxuries
The Little Luxuries of our lives tend to go unnoticed and unappreciated. Jocko talked about having clean, cold water. I know I love a cold glass of water as soon as I wake up in the morning, but I never really stop to appreciate the fact that I have the ability to turn on my faucet and pour a glass of water so easily.
I can pour this clean, cold water out of a faucet and get as much as I want. This is not something that many people in our world can experience and it’s truly sad that I don’t fully appreciate it everyday.
This is something that I want to get better at. Acknowledging and appreciating the little luxuries that are in my life. Another luxury is the feeling of being safe.
When I walk out of my front door, I feel safe. I don’t feel like bullets are going to come flying at me and I don’t feel like someone’s waiting to strike me and rob me or harm me.
Again, many people don’t have the good fortune of physical, mental and emotional safety.
Another great example is a bed. I have a bed. It’s nothing spectacular, just a mattress on the floor. But when you compare that to some of the stories that Jocko tells about soldiers sleeping in holes in the ground with mortar shells flying overhead, I realize that I’m basically living the life of a king compared to that situation.
Use This as Motivation to Be Positive and Grateful
Being positive and grateful is as simple as acknowledging these little things that we have in life. These little luxuries.
If you acknowledge and appreciate all the good fortune that life has brought you - clean water, a bed to sleep on, food to eat, clothes to wear, etc. then you will be 100x more positive than someone who doesn’t.
You’ll be 100x more grateful than that guy or gal who just incessantly complains about every minute detail of their life. They complain about the TV Guy being late or their favorite show getting taped over or how their internet went out or their phone battery died or their laundry machine broke.
These people will never be truly happy. They will never truly learn to live each day as a gift from the universe. Each day is truly a gift and we should never forget that.