Sometimes when we see the good things in other people’s lives, it reminds us of what we don’t have in our life. You may look at their life and see something really great in this one snapshot in time. It highlights for us what we don’t have at this one point in time in our lives.
It’s not good or bad, it just is what it is.
So rather than feeling badly or letting it send you into a downward spiral, let’s focus on the pluses in our lives, not the minuses.
It’s human nature to feel a pang of envy when we see someone with something we don’t have in our lives that we feel is missing or is something we really want. And while it is human nature to feel that envy, the healthiest thing to do is to recognize it for what it is – a moment in time in their life that may or may not reflect the whole picture. And while they may have that one thing you’re hoping for, you may also have things that they would like to have in their life. And they may also have some minuses in their life that you might never want to deal with. Nothing is ever as simple as it may appear on the surface.
So once you’ve recognized that this is merely a snapshot, a moment in time, take a look at the pluses in your life – the good things that you have in your life.
When we focus on the pluses rather than the minuses, it will help us to recognize the goodness and the beauty in our lives, even if we wish some other things could change.
And when we begin to appreciate and feel the joy of the pluses in our lives, it makes this big ordeal of life a whole lot more worth living.
So in this #SummerOfAwesome, let’s focus on the pluses in our lives.
As I age, I find this to be an is an increasingly healthy habit. It is incredibly difficult to do at times, especially in this insane world, but it keeps you somewhat saner and definitely aware of who you are and where you might be going .
So true, Martha. It does keep us saner. And we’ll just never have everything wrapped up all perfect and topped with a bow. But we will have a helluva lot. And it’s so good when we focus on that!
I love this one, so, so true. I would not be where I am today if I focus on minuses, There too many pluses in everyone’s live that they take SO for granted. And if someone has something you don’t… be happy for them.
Diane, I completely agree that we should be happy for others who have things in their lives, even if they’re what we don’t have, and maybe even what we want.
And we also never really know how much it meant to them to get that one thing – their life may have depended on it. So yes, let’s celebrate not only the pluses in our lives, but the good that others have as well!