Living in a society where we are constantly striving to be the absolute best, it’s easy to start taking things for granted. It’s also very easy to start thinking about everything we don’t have. We don’t have as much money as we want, the newest phone, the nicest car, or the biggest house. While it’s understandable to want to strive for more, I think it’s essential that people start to put their lives into perspective.

A constant reminder that I like to give myself throughout the day is, “someone else would love to have your problems.” I adapt this mindset from the moment I wake up to set myself up for a positive day. Seeing as people are constantly in a rush and are consumed with the busyness of daily life, we often forget to realize how many small things we don’t appreciate. Anyone who wakes up in a warm bed in the morning should be grateful. Anyone with a roof over their head should be grateful. Anyone with running water to brush their teeth, and a clean toothbrush for that matter, should be grateful. Instead of wanting to complain about not having hot enough water for your shower, or not wanting to get out of bed for work, imagine how different you could feel if you realized you were lucky to have clean water and a job. Having gratitude for things that may seem trivial or irrelevant is an important part of realizing how grateful we should be every single day.

Adapting this mindset can lead to a long term change in your attitude towards even the smallest things that may occur in your life. Because, naturally, positivity feeds more positivity. When you let yourself get caught up in the hassle of daily life and don’t take a step back to appreciate everything you have, it’s easy to want to complain and feel upset about small things that may occur. But in reality, there are so many wonderful things that we all have to be thankful for every single day. Furthermore, the gratitude and positivity you reflect in yourself can lead to a chain reaction among those around you. If you adapt a positive mindset, people around you are going to be more inclined to be positive as well. This is proof to show that a little gratitude can go a long way.

Now, this does not mean that people don’t have valid daily problems. Yes there are issues like worrying about paying your bills, dealing with illness, or other stresses that life may bring on. But if something truly is problematic, the important thing is to act on it. Complaining and sitting around is not going to do anything. And in the meantime, instead of spending your energy focusing on those, focus on everything good in life. Spending your time complaining about things does nothing to help the issue at hand and will only result in you becoming more upset about the issue. So please, try to find a little more gratitude in every single day. I promise it will make a difference in your life.