The grass is always greener on the other side.
Many of us have this unfortunate habit of focusing so much of our attention on the things we don’t have that we lose sight of the things that we do have. And we have a lot. I’d imagine most readers of this blog have access to the Internet. I’d imagine most of you have a reliable source of clean drinking water, living in a home that is reasonably clean and safe. We take these things for granted, because we always want more.
In a blog post last month, I discussed some of the struggles that I’ve faced thus far living the WAHD lifestyle. I talked about the challenges of sleep deprivation. I wrote about trying to strike a balance between my responsibilities as a small business owner and my responsibilities as a new father. And then Ray Ebersole posted this comment:
I have it made? It sure doesn’t feel like it. But when I really stop to think about what I do have (rather than brooding over what I don’t have), I start to realize just how much I’ve been gawking wistfully at the supposedly greener grass on the other side.
By no means am I a wealthy man, but I would say that I lead a reasonably comfortable existence. We’re not struggling to keep the lights on, we’re well-fed and, aside from the mortgage on our home, we have always been completely debt-free. But it’s not just about the money. It’s about the lifestyle.
Working from home isn’t for everyone and, even where it is suitable, not everyone can make it work. Through my own efforts and with a little luck on my side, my freelance writing business continues to be my primary source of income. I don’t have a “day job” on the side. I don’t have to endure a daily commute into the city.
Sure, it’d be nice to have a fancy car. Absolutely, it’d be a relief to go shopping and not fret over the numbers on the price tags. But maybe Ray is right. Perhaps what it really means to “have it made” is to earn enough to be reasonably stable, but to do it in such a way that you can still enjoy the little things in life that are far more valuable than money.
Undoubtedly, I will continue to stress over just about everything. I will also now recognize just how fortunate I am, albeit not necessarily in a monetary sense, to be able to do what I do the way that I do it. Sleepless nights aside, life’s not so bad.
I enjoyed this post Michael. It’s nice that you were able to reflect and see what you do have. By no means is my life a drudge, and I do feel fortunate for the gifts I get each day from all my kids. Especially that hug Andrew makes the effort to give me when he gets up, when I leave for work, when I get home and whenever he feels like he wants to give me a hug.
I live within 10 minutes of the beach that is annually rated as a top three beach in the world. It never gets colder than 40F at any time during the year and Disney World, Universal, and SeaWorld are less than 2 hours away.
Not bad for what I do have. I wish I had just a bit more money to have that pad, instead of paycheck to paycheck, but maybe before I retire.
I think we could all express more gratitude for what we have. Don’t take anything for granted.
It is easy to want what we don’t have I guess, or maybe we realise that what we do hve isn’t always what we need for a better life?