Things to ponder

Things to Ponder: Be Thankful for what you have

Jan
A candle holder with the word "Thankful" has 3 candles lit up. "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough - Oprah Winfrey. Things to ponder - janontheblog.com"
Oprah Winfrey quote from Goodreads

Difficult to please by nature

It is human nature to not be easily satisfied. We always want more – whether it’s money, power, fame, love or material things like cars, houses, clothes, shoes and the list goes on. The fast paced and wealth driven society we live in is partly to blame. When you take a step back and look at our lives objectively, it’s all a rat race of sorts. We are pressured from a young age to compete and strive for more, with the false belief that it’s in the pursuit of happiness. But none of these actually make us happy until we choose to be happy.

Contentment is a choice

Happiness should be in the now. If we think we need to have more to be happy, we will never be happy – that’s the reality. Because no single person can attain all there is to have. That is why contentment is a choice. We need to make a conscious decision to appreciate what we have. To live in gratitude and not take things for granted. It takes practice. When we truly appreciate what we have, constantly and whole heartedly, more of the same will be drawn to us. It’s not wishful thinking, it’s science. Our thoughts have the magnetic power to attract things into our lives. Read more in this post which applies to work and personal lives alike: How to think your way through to career success.

A heart-shaped ornament with a thread attached to it is set on a wooden surface. Text inside it reads "I am grateful"
I am grateful

Being ambitious for the right reasons

Don’t get me wrong, being content doesn’t mean you can’t have ambitions. It’s great to have ambitions – they drive us. But we should be ambitious for the right reasons – to do what we love, help people or simply to do some good in the world. When ambition is merely about wealth or power, we are back on to the rat race.

A simple life is the best life

I believe that the key to happiness is to live a simple life. To invest in relationships rather than material things and find a balance between conflicting elements. Use Oprah’s wise words to remind you to be grateful for what you have. You might not end up being the richest person in the world but you’ll surely be one of the happier ones.

Snapshot of a dictionary focusing on the word 'Simplicity'
Simplicity

What are your thoughts on being grateful and living a simple life?

Thanks for reading and stay safe everyone.

Published by Jan

Working mom by day and blogger by night, from the land down under in Melbourne, Australia. Jan On The Blog is a lifestyle blog with a little bit of everything because variety is the spice of life! :)

22 thoughts on “Things to Ponder: Be Thankful for what you have”

    1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Shahrin.
      I love what you said there – “Happiness is not a pursuit but a state of being” – it’s beautiful and so very true.
      What’s something you are thankful for today?☺️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. Really like this blog post! I could definitely relate to when you referred to the rat race. I live in London and so I know first hand how easy it is to sucked in the rat race when it comes to careers and promotions and all that, especially in the city! I think being sucked in this rat race is a big barrier to being happy, and so I definitely agree with your points that were made!

    Feel free to read some of my blogs 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks for reading! It is quite true isn’t it. I’m guilty of thinking that way too unconsciously sometimes – but I try to catch myself in the act and snap out of it 😂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

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