How can one appreciate their current life more? 28

"I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them" ~~ Andy (Office)

I realized that life is about finding joy in being where we are now. Nothing outside of you should or can be the source of your joy.

When you want nothing you have everything

I fall into this trap a lot. I brood in my room about how much I don't like my current situation, or any of the people I have around me. When I'm out and have to focus on the outside events instead of being in my head, I don't feel hatred towards anything.

I'll go as far as to say I'm actually enjoying most interactions even though I am an introvert at my core. I wish I could remain in the now and not obsess over my ideals for how things should have always been.

You are a great motivational speaker. You should take that up and get paid for it. Thank you so much. You might just have saved my life. I suffer from stage 5 kidney disease (CKD), I have HIV and diabetes. I have also just already had heart valve replacement. I have never smoked or taken drugs in my life yet, I've become very sick at an age of just 54. I have been on the verge of ending it all but, I came across your content and it has really made me think. Again, thank you.

This content perfectly reflects the reality many people face. The same thing happened to me. I thought that when I bought my first house, I would be very happy. However, the truth is, I ended up feeling an emptiness because I no longer had a big goal to work towards. I then bought a second house and felt exactly the same. It was only a few years later that I realized the power of NOW is the most important thing of all. It was in that conscious moment that I understood how valuable the present is—the ability to feel the freedom of doing what I truly wanted and being aware of everything in each moment. Today, as I approach 40, I have finally come to this realization, though it took me 15 years to do so. Make the most of your time now. Set goals, yes, but live in the present, and you will surely find happiness.

thank you for sharing this, really need this to remind myself again to stop waiting for the endpoint to be happy because life doesn't miraculously stop there

An even higher form of happiness, is not looking outward and to the future or what you can accomplish, but looking inward and to the present moment. This is a game changer. Looking at your thoughts, your beliefs, your emotions. And meditating in the now. The present now. We are human beings not human doings.
If you shift your focus to feeling content by looking inward then you can learn to be anywhere and feel peace or joy. You can love to just sit still because you feel oneness.

Accomplishing does bring dopamine increases, but it's very future focus.

“Life is happening now—not at the finish line. Joy and fulfillment don’t wait at the end; they live in the progress you make each day. Every move forward is a victory in itself, so embrace it—embrace today, for this is where life truly unfolds.“ - me (:

I like how you say I will finally be ALLOWED to be happy. Very key word there. It is crazy how we all restrict ourselves from happiness based on whatever criteria we create in our mind.

Thanks for the reminder. I'm 46 years old, have a both challenging but great life, and still need to be reminded on this now and then.

"Stop reading content that offers advice because they only want to sell you an ideal image. They post photos near the pool with a cute baby and a nice house to make you believe that their advice works. This is nonsense because constantly striving for goals is exhausting. True happiness comes from finding contentment in all aspects of your life." Not by setting yourself yet more goals.
I am now 50 years old, and I'm happy I am done. Life is all about making precious memories now with my husband and my children and close family and friends. Making the most of the time I have left with the people I love.

as someone not ambitious, i've never really been able to relate emotionally to having goals, not that there's nothing i want, just that there's nothing i really want to achieve, or want to achieve so badly. i struggled with this quite a bit when i was younger, wondering if it's wrong of me to not have any goals in life like some others do, luckily some things happened in my life and i've come across perspectives that helped me to be at peace with it - it's ok to just live through the seasons, to "just exist for a while, and be decent".

goals or not, take enjoyment from the things you do while you do them, not from the potential outcomes they might bring, i think this way, you're always enjoying the present moments, which is all we have.

Many people believe " when I get this new car...this new house...a great job...then I'll be happy".
Feel happy NOW. I think about a happy event in my life...until I FEEL happy. And I sit there as long as possible in this happy feeling. It works...for ME

I love your insights. One of the best things I've ever done is to hang a sign with a simple message on the wall above my desk, where I see it every morning. It says: "WHAT CAN I DO TO SEIZE TODAY?" Asking myself that sets the tone for my day.

you are right but life is still better with a person who loves you and support you...

My children make me smile on a daily basis. Having children made me happier than any financial or career achievements I have ever accomplished.

Happiness is a fickle visitor that you are occasionally blessed with. If you are happy appreciate it because it will fade away quickly.
It is better to seek fulfillment, because that is long blasting and has deep meaning. Play always improving and always growing that is the way

Hard to be happy when it’s a struggle trying to get by

"The thing about happiness is, you only know you had it when it's gone. You may think to yourself that you're happy, but you don't really believe it..." Kellogg - Fallout 4

I'm feeling this at the moment. After three and a half years I finally have a unit I can call my own. It's clean, it's modern. Nothing needs fixing, nothing needs upgrading, nothing needs to be done. While I am managing to keep myself occupied by buying some of the furniture and bits and pieces needed, I find myself in need of a new goal.

Great advice! I agree 100%. The life is NOW!

I think there is a big societal illusion that we have to "be happy", otherwise we failed in life. We're perpetually taught that "happiness" is the ultimate goal. But I think happiness is only a short-lived thing of a moment. A long-term and much more realistic and permanent goal is contentment that arises from life circumstances that give us a feeling of safety and calm. This can be through a more or less stable job, a loving partner, or financial independence, etc. Modesty and simplicity are also keys to contentment; the less you need, the less you miss.

Having gratitude for what you currently have is the most important thing whilst knowing that, although never ending, striving for more is what got you there

Wise words, wonderful. And the best things in life are free. Go for a hike, spent time in nature. Pick up a nice hobby, meet friends. And be thankful to be healthy and don't take it for granted.

This content is exactly what I needed to see. I lost the love of my life a couple nights ago and it was for this very reason. I was fat and shy in high school, so senior year I got this immense drive to better myself. Lost all the weight, gained so much muscle that strangers would compliment me, I took a serving job so I could force myself to socialize daily. I stuck with that for years and finally, I got the most beautiful and smart girlfriend in the world and it literally felt like my life’s work was complete the day I asked her to be mine. It only took a week before I felt like something was off. 2 years later I found myself bitter, angry, unhappy, I didn’t know why I was unhappy when I had everything I ever wanted, so I blamed her (she was starting to get crappy to me and not treat me the best, but I didn’t realize it was because I had become so stagnant in life) :/ I tried so hard to make her see that it was all her fault and I didn’t even realize it was mine. I stopped trying, I thought I had it all. Now that she’s gone I can’t believe how wrong I was. Don’t make the same mistakes I did, please. If you’re unhappy in a relationship, take a step back and really ask yourself why before it’s too late. Luckily this realization has given me the realization that I need to better myself again, day one complete and I feel better already

You are so right! Small things and appreciation is so much more important then the end result.