“Appreciation is an excellent thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us, as well.” -Voltaire

There’s work to do. And things to accomplish. And places to get to. And people to please.

There’s futures to create. And pasts to forget. And an endless string of days full of hours to be filled. We often spend then running, fantasizing or waiting, hoping it eventually turns into something good enough. Something worth valuing, something worth appreciating, something worth enjoying.

If we’re not deliberate, we can easily live life hopping from distraction to distraction, biding our time for something better. The truth is there is nothing better. This is life, in all it’s beauty and possibility–in the present moment. Life never happens in any other time.

Today, choose to marvel, bask, and celebrate the beautiful things and people around you. There will always be something in your life you’d rather avoid or escape. The place you’re trying to get to, though, lives and breathes right here, right now.

“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” -Lao Tzu

Somewhere along the lines, we’ve gotten it into our heads that a full life involves abundance. We’re told to visualize it, fixate on it, and open up to receiving it because we deserve it and we can have it.

The missing part of that equation is whether or not excess will actually make us happy. The answer is no–not if you weren’t already happy–because happiness is an inside job.

Research actually shows the human brain becomes conditioned to positive experiences, meaning once the initial high of receiving wears off, your mood will return to its baseline–even if you won the lottery.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting. If the world was free from desire, there would be no positive change. What’s important is to realize you can experience peace and joy without attaching to the things you want. That there is nothing lacking in this moment that makes it unworthy of happiness.

What can you do to enjoy this moment, in all its fullness?

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You May Enjoy Reading:

• 7 Reasons to Be Happy Even If Things Aren’t Perfect Now
• How to Want Less and Be Happy About It

“To be upset over what you don’t have is to waste what you do have.”  -Ken S. Keyes, Jr.

If you focus on what’s lacking in life, you’ll find you never have enough.

There is always more to obtain: more knowledge, more experience, more money, more power, more responsibility, more friends, more connections, more adventures…the list goes on and on.

On the other side of that coin is the simple abundance you have with you always. The way you affect people when you smile. The way you inspire people when you share your passions. How alive and purposeful you feel when you indulge them without worrying about what you’re producing.

There’s nothing wrong with striving to improve and expand your world. Just remember to find a sense of balance and peace by keeping your eye on what you already have. It endures and strengthens while “more” comes and goes.

“There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.”  -Robert Brault

In Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll coined the term “un-birthday” which means exactly what you might expect—a day you celebrate that isn’t actually your birthday. You might not feel inclined to send out evites and buy a helium tank in honor of a non-milestone, but there’s something to this idea.

Read more here – Do Happy: Celebrate a Non-Event

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” -Denis Waitley

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“Happiness is in itself a kind of gratitude.” -Joseph Wood Krutch

Happy holidays…Enjoy your day!

“Be thankful when you don’t know something for it gives you the opportunity to learn.” -Unknown

People often close themselves off to new information to satisfy their egos, but this puts them at such a disadvantage.

What serves you better: to pretend you know everything, and limit your capacity to grow? Or to admit you can always learn more, and allow each day to present endless discoveries and possibilities?

Whether it’s through reading a book, watching someone you respect, or simply asking questions, you can always learn more about the world and who you want to be within it.

What opportunity can you seize today?

“Not what we have but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance.” -John Petit-Senn

If you celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you the wisdom to recognize abundance in your life and the heart to enjoy and appreciate it.

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“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” -Pema Chodron

Many people go through their days collecting moments that annoyed them. How another driver turns without signaling. How your coffee barista moves at a glacial pace—so slow she has to ask twice what you ordered. The way a coworker talks loudly on her cell phone, even though you practically share the same cubicle.

Things like this happen all the time. We live, work, and play on top of each other—people we know, don’t know, want to know, and don’t know we want to know. We’re bound to get in each other’s way.

What we don’t often realize is that all those different people can enrich our way if we let them.

That careless driver reminds you to stay alert. Your greatest power in an unpredictable world is your ability to respond well to things that happen around you.

The barista teaches you to take a deep breath and slow down. Nothing is so important a late arrival justifies an ulcer.

Your coworker provides an opportunity to practice effective communication under stress—an invaluable skill both in work and in life.

What teachers have you encountered today, and how can you put that lesson in practice?