How I Learned To Appreciate Life!

To start this post off, what I shall try to make clear from the word GO is that competition is great, looking for a thrill is an excellent motivational generator, challenges, well, there is no challenge out there that can be compared to any nitro boost as challenges are what give the winners an opportunity to prove themselves.

However, WHEN IS IT ENOUGH?

When do we need to start slowing down and start appreciating what we have, our achievements, our assets and everything else that we have through our life accumulated through all the competition, thrills and challenges?

The answer obviously depends from person to person, but hell, I have seen so many people become slaves to the thrills, to the competition, to the challenges! All the way to the point that they actually do not have a life, they don't appreciate anything or anyone. So maybe they need to get some hard core therapy before they burn out, crash and die!

The fact that one learns is that by stopping, thinking and starting to appreciate what one has, that one can reflect upon the past, all the steps to achieving everything. In this process a person starts to learn and realize that life isn't life unless you live it. If you become a slave then there is no life, as all you are doing is eating and reliving a routine and for what?

A person needs to start appreciating themself.

Even if it be a stepping stone to one day going forwards and aiming to achieve more.

So, how come many of us spend the best chunk of our lives chasing the next big thing?

Why is it that we can't appreciate what we have, enjoy what we have, why do we keep consuming all the time we have in chasing something more, while we don't appreciate the things we have?

Isn't that a waste of all the time we invested in getting to where we are?

All those years that we wished we had what we currently have become wasted years, because we never actually enjoy what we have.

THINK ABOUT IT, I HAVE!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly been unappreciative of many things I’ve had in my life.

So, how did I start changing my approach to life?

Well, it took a few deaths of friends, people I knew who were not old by any standards, yet they were gone and none of them took anything material from this world with them to the afterlife.

1- Start being grateful for what you have, start appreciating things today, right now. Don't spend time thinking about what more you want, start enjoying what you have. It actually brings about a lot of pleasure and enjoyment, makes the time go past pleasantly and it in many ways really changes the way you plan your days and your thought patterns start changing to.

2- Go to a charity and check out what they are doing, anything from a kitchen for the poor to a shelter for the less fortunate. Then think about how lucky you are, because these people didn't have near as much luck as you did in life. If they did they wouldn't be there!

3- Take a look around, sort out the stuff you have, dust it, clean it. Realize the fact that you have it and you may remember when you bought it and then you will remember earning it and the time spent earning it. WOW, imagine how many things you have that you probably don't even know of. Yep, it will shock you!

4- Start comparing yourself now after doing the above three things to the person you were back when you started chasing your dreams. Your life shall definitely become more meaningful and you shall definitely start seeing things about yourself that you never noticed before.

5- Still want more?, OK, first then donate the things you no longer want to a charity that shall ensure it gets into the hands of people who need it, or who shall sell it and use the money to help those less fortunate than you!
It shall make you feel really good and you shall again start enjoying a part of life and some emotions that need to be resuscitated from time to time in all of us!

6- Still not there?
Go to a childrens hospital and visit the cancer ward or terminally ill wards. Need I say any more.

7- Focus on the positive things in your life, start putting the negative things into the rubbish bin. Stop wasting your thoughts and time on negative things. Life is way too short to be wasted on negativity.

8- Start focusing on love, happiness, forgiveness. Not easy, but once you start doing this, all the negativity out there becomes irrelevant and the positive things start taking precedence in your thoughts and you actually start appreciating life and the things you have achieved and you start realizing that we all need to start learning to appreciate what we have.

All I can say is, EASIER SAID THAN DONE!

It has taken me years to accomplish the above list, yep, did them all. Somewhat of a list of things that have been proven to work, a step by step process.

Now, again, I have to stress that what has worked for me, doesn't necessarily have to work for everyone else, but it can't hurt to try. I may not be a shrink, but I am a human BEING, I am no drone or slave. I do have feelings and I did get myself stuck into a point where no matter what I had I only wanted more.

No, not the classic "Greed" factor, not in essence, but an addiction to the challenge, the thrill, the need to win.

It wore me out, it burned me up and I nearly died.

Life is too short to waste!!!!!!

Start enjoying it!

If you are doing something, like "blogging" make it part of the fun!

Steemit to me came around at the right moment in my life, it gave me a new challenge and a way to be myself and write things like this post where I am sharing a part of myself with others and at the same time reconfirming my own convictions and personal beliefs.
Experiences vary from person to person and the lessons learned vary, many of us learn the same things from various experiences, but at the end of the day, knowing that there are more people out there who have gone through life getting to a point where you may be also is a good feeling. Life is something we need to consider a blessing, every second that we are alive is an opportunity to make the most of it without enslaving ourselves.

LIVE LIFE!

STEEM ON!

Steemit can fit right into everyones life and enrich the experience that we call "LIFE".

We can share everything from our experiences, know how and the little trade "secrets" to make the ride called "LIFE" a little less bumpy!

Again, me sharing some of the things that have gone on through my life, things that are worth sharing and that I feel are worth more than any money can pay for.

Yours truly

Jack