STOP… and Count Your Blessings

Do you remember counting down to your birthday, Christmas, or summer vacation with so much excitement and anticipation that you drove your parents crazy? As a kid, there was always something to look forward to. The school bell at the end of the day. A family vacation to the beach. Getting your own room. Learning to drive. Going on your first date.

That kind of anticipation doesn’t stop when we get out of our childhoods. As young adults, we may look forward to finishing our education, landing a great job, getting married, buying a house, or having our first child.

As we get older, our desires and expectations change and mature, but we always look ahead to something, wanting and anticipating something better. A better job. A larger paycheck. A bigger house. A nicer car. Or maybe more time—an empty nest, retirement, and grandkids.

Whatever it may be, we all look forward to things. And when we get those things, or those events happen, we’re happy! For awhile.

When New becomes Old

Unfortunately it doesn’t take long before that shiny new car in your driveway is just the same old car you drive to work every day and try to keep clean of clutter and fast food wrappers. And before long that perfect job you jockeyed so long for is just the same old routine with its own set of frustrations and that one particularly annoying coworker.

So what is it that changed? Why did those things we desired and anticipated so eagerly become old and boring and taken for granted?

Quite simply, we adapted. As author Jeff Haden explains,

“Adaptation is natural. When something good happens you feel happier for a while. Then you adapt to your new situation and return to your baseline ‘happy state.’”

 

We still have that nice car in our driveway. We still have that great job we wanted so badly. They haven’t really changed all that much. But the way we view them has changed.

Reclaim Your Happiness

So how do we reclaim the happiness those things once brought us?

STOP… and count your blessings.

I know, I know, “count your blessings” is one of those overused phrases found on cutesy posters and at the end of those inspirational email chains your great aunt always sends you. But even trite expressions still have value when you really think about them.

Stop and look around you. Think about the things in your life you’ve desired and looked forward to and now have. Your car. Your job. Your house. Your family. That big screen TV in the living room. That clean bill of health from your doctor last month.

Granted, you might be lacking something right now. Maybe your car needs repaired, you’re between jobs, or your health isn’t good. But even in the face of need, you can still reflect on the many things you do have and the many ways in which you’ve been blessed.

Try looking at those things with fresh eyes. Try remembering how you felt about them the first day you had them. They probably haven’t changed all that much, but the way you think about them has.

It’s great to look forward to something new… but don’t forget about what you already have!

Question: What is one blessing you are thankful for today?