Don’t Appreciate What You Have And Idealize The Rest

One of our biggest problems is that we tend not to appreciate what is ours, to emphasize instead what we don’t have. Taking for granted what we will one day miss is a very common and unrealistic way of perceiving some people and situations. Although our goals spring from what we lack, it is a mistake to stimulate in ourselves a feeling of lack for something we do not possess.

Sometimes we fall into the error of calling “necessary” almost everything that is not ours and “duty” what we could really enjoy, whether they are people, feelings or situations. The result is that we forget to enjoy many concrete moments, because we prefer to live in fantasy rather than live reality, perhaps because the first option is often much easier than the second.

In general, we have a tendency to not like or not like what we have. This aspect tends to be the rule for some people, who experience this feeling most of the time.

Some experts on the subject even speak of the missing piece syndrome, referring to a perennial state of lack, of a lack of what is not ours, even coming – in some cases – to bordering on obsession.

Don’t appreciate what you have: let’s stop idealizing and live for real

reasonable and logical to reach one goal and think about the next one. However, the problem arises when at the same time we little enjoy what we have. The present, whether we like it or not, is the only thing we have and this is the key to living life to the full.

Nonconformity is a human tendency, but there is no reason in the world why it should make our life bitter. On the other hand, motivation is fundamental and, to a certain extent, instinctive. In itself, non-conformism is not negative, but if we combine it with the idealization of what we do not possess, we risk falling into an abyss of dissatisfaction that leads us to create a parallel reality within ourselves.

Idealization can play tricks on us. We miss or desire something because we think things will get better by getting it; and we can’t really know for sure what a situation will be like until we live it. To idealize is to blindly value something that usually does not correspond to reality. Being aware of this is the first step to enjoy our “day by day”.

We must become aware of what we have, who we are and enjoy what life offers us. We must pay attention to what we seek and desire. There are no perfect situations, if not those that we build in our mind. And here comes the idealization of what is not ours, of what others have and of all that we lack.

Hell is a path paved with carelessness

It is common not to like what you have because you don’t pay the right attention to it. Knowing what to turn your attention to is the first step in the opposite direction. Giving the right attention to the right things opens a window to well-being and this is because those who know how to enjoy the little (or much) that surrounds them have learned the true essence of life.

Valuing and appreciating what we have is essential to satisfy both our needs and those of the people around us.

Below we leave you with an old tale that teaches us why we very often live by dwelling on superficial pleasures that we cannot obtain, while we miss the positive side of our existence.

This story teaches us not to behave like these visitors. Take your eyes off what you think you are missing and start enjoying what you already have today, stop not appreciating what is yours.