What drives you to be appreciative of life?

[wildambitions]

A new (facebook) friend of mine recently asked me, "So, what drives you to be so appreciative of life? Am curious, as you always sound so cheerful and happy. I'm barely any of these things most of the time."

Here is MY answer... what is yours?

I am driven by accepting responsibility, understanding that I can only be accountable for myself and to others. Knowing that all choices will have circumstances - good and bad, depending. And trusting I will never be given anything I am not supposed to face at that exact moment and time that I am not completely capable of handling.

 

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[biophase]

I could write a book about this stuff... This may be the oddest answer you receive. As I get up each morning I feed my dog who is almost ten years old. It greatly saddens me that in 5 years he probably won't be with me anymore.

The question commonly posed is if you knew you had X days to live, what would you do.

If you look at your dog, you know he has X days to live. I understand that each day of his life is valuable to him. He's just a dog that lives day by day and is super happy every time I come home, every time I feed him and every time he gets a new toy. Seeing this day in and day out makes me realize that life is really simple. My responsibility is to let him be happy, feed him, play with him and take him on walks until the time comes.

I guess my point is that our lives are limited and that we shouldn't waste time being mad, unhappy or grumpy. However, most of us don't look at our time as finite. We think the number X is thousands of days away. Looking at my dog's life from my perspective helps me see my time in a different perspective.

Maybe there's some giant sahuaro cactus looking at our life the same way!

 

[fanocks2003]

Supportive advocates.

There is nothing that makes me hate life more than meeting people who never supports anything you do. That's a turn-off.

 

[Scout]

I just choose my additude each day, life is fun, it becomes hard at times but working through the challenges is the fun stuff. Suround yourself with positive people and don't bother with the negitive na-sayers (they just slow you down)

 

[randallg99]

As I get up each morning I feed my dog who is almost ten years old. It greatly saddens me that in 5 years he probably won't be with me anymore.

a book written by clergy highlighting peoples lives and their tribulations that I read many years ago had a chapter dedicated to a woman who cried for 20 minutes on her childrens' birthdays simply because they were one year closer to dying. (talk about fate)

ever since I read that book, my perspective on life changed dramatically. It's very easy to take life for granted living day to day (especially in very good economic times) and while I still took many things in life for granted, I also became very aware of what should be important and what shouldn't be. and Bio, I also have a 10 y/o dog and I know exactly what you're talking about.

It took a severe hit to my net worth for me to realize what's really most important: family, health, golf game. Not necessarily in that order ;-)

Kerry- knowing a little about the strife you've made it through, I really think you made a true role model statement by accepting responsibility and letting others know that you're the one responsible for whatever happens to you. very commendable. hopefully it sticks to the person who asked. rep+

 

[Icy]

I don't believe in an after-life and therefore I feel as though every second I have needs to be used to the fullest. I mean, how could this not make someone feel appreciative to even get the chance to experience life. Although really whether you believe in an after-life or not, simply experiencing being "alive" and knowing it could end quite litterally at anytime it should make you appreciate life since not everyone is so lucky.

 

[wildambitions]

It took a severe hit to my net worth for me to realize what's really most important: family, health, golf game. Not necessarily in that order ;-)

This sounds similar to what we have survived and thrive from.

Kerry- knowing a little about the strife you've made it through, I really think you made a true role model statement by accepting responsibility and letting others know that you're the one responsible for whatever happens to you. very commendable. hopefully it sticks to the person who asked. rep+

Thanks Randall. It looks like we may be in for another ride (again, I plan to jump into the driver seat)... I found out yesterday (while on vacation) that effective Sept 1, I will no longer have a J.O.B.; being laid off - more appropriately downsized! Granted, I was planning for a jump date December 31st, however, in reality, the December date was a goal I likely would not have reached by even then. I trust that this is just what I need.

 

[imcmillionaire]

I appreciate every day that my mom is alive. She's been a cancer survivor since 1999 and i thank god everyday that she is still with me, because with out her, i may have gone crazy. This is why i am so appreciate of my lie and the fact that she gets to see her son graduate from college and be an online millionaire all in 1 year....

 

[Pinnacle]

Humankind's greatest gift (free will) and its greatest talent (the ability to reason) are the two things that drive me to be appreciative of life. There is no limit to what we can accomplish in affecting not only our individual lives, but our lives and environment as a society with the effective uses of free will and reason. These two things afford us tremendous personal power and I cannot tell you how liberating and invigorating that feels. The power to choose, the power to produce, the power to live whatever you manifest as possible for yourself is, IMO, what defines the beauty of being human. The pride and the dignity in knowing we can take our skills and abilities and use them as tools to shape our greatest conceptions into reality (i.e. artwork, a company, an invention, an idea, literature, etc.) are unparalleled.

It is being a living human and knowing what I know that makes me appreciative of life.

 

[Vigilante]

Bumped for B&P attendees.

 

[CEBenz]

I watched my grandfather after a couple of strokes. He'd put off overseas travels until retirement but, by the time he retired, his health wouldn't let him travel.

I vowed to not live life that way. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Cherish family and true friends. Some may leave your life unexpectedly or you theirs.

 

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[The-J]

We are all constantly reminded of how fragile life is and how quickly it can come to an end. When it does, bam, your experiences are no more. My life and your life could end due to something that was completely out of our control, such as getting caught in a natural disaster, being victim of a violent crime, or developing a terminal illness.

I'm slowly learning to appreciate the little things in life that give us the most joy. Being able to spend time with family and friends, being able to spend time alone, being able to eat good food, just the little things we take for granted.

When I forget those little things, I am sad.

 

[Omerta]

I could write a book about this stuff... This may be the oddest answer you receive. As I get up each morning I feed my dog who is almost ten years old. It greatly saddens me that in 5 years he probably won't be with me anymore.

The question commonly posed is if you knew you had X days to live, what would you do.

If you look at your dog, you know he has X days to live. I understand that each day of his life is valuable to him. He's just a dog that lives day by day and is super happy every time I come home, every time I feed him and every time he gets a new toy. Seeing this day in and day out makes me realize that life is really simple. My responsibility is to let him be happy, feed him, play with him and take him on walks until the time comes.

I guess my point is that our lives are limited and that we shouldn't waste time being mad, unhappy or grumpy. However, most of us don't look at our time as finite. We think the number X is thousands of days away. Looking at my dog's life from my perspective helps me see my time in a different perspective.

Maybe there's some giant sahuaro cactus looking at our life the same way!

thank you, very great perspective.

 

[Omerta]

Waking up and knowing that I can do pretty much what I want with my day. But I'm often very pissed off that my family doesn't understand my lifestyle. And I have a very hard time finding people that think like me. Others are too busy complaining about life and working. I'm just not their kind. However I am very thankful that I have a great friend who thinks exactly like me, a great family, and a house. And I live in the most beautiful city in north america. One thing piss me off though, the damn cold winter. But I am thankful to the entrepreneurs otherwise we would have to grow on our own like in the neandertal time. I appreciate the value that the society provides to the people. Books, music, exotic cars, golf courses, wine, food,etc. All things that I love.

 

[JMitchell]

Life's short and brutish: you're born, you live a little, and then you die. I might as well enjoy it while I can!

 

[andyredsox]

• Being a businessman, I can be more responsible in doing my obligations, not just for the business, but also for myself. A person in the business world is always busy, but I will make time to unwind, have fun and enjoying with my friends- And always a positive motivation in life.

 

[Cult45]

I try to start each day with this simple commercial......It makes me happy !!!!

 

[jon.a]

Regaining my ability to walk after drinking myself into a wheel chair
Surviving a heart attack almost 2 years ago

Why do I still smoke?
Because I can
The heart attack didn't kill me or scare me enough

I'm switching to e-cigarettes.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Been spending a lot of time in some of the old threads around here. Thought this could use a bump, timeless question.

 

[Andy Black]

Been spending a lot of time in some of the old threads around here. Thought this could use a bump, timeless question.

Thanks for the bump. I've never even seen this thread.

Great post @biophase. Dogs, and kids, are amazing at enjoying/appreciating the now.

 

[LuckyPup]

I could write a book about this stuff... This may be the oddest answer you receive. As I get up each morning I feed my dog who is almost ten years old. It greatly saddens me that in 5 years he probably won't be with me anymore.

The question commonly posed is if you knew you had X days to live, what would you do.

If you look at your dog, you know he has X days to live. I understand that each day of his life is valuable to him. He's just a dog that lives day by day and is super happy every time I come home, every time I feed him and every time he gets a new toy. Seeing this day in and day out makes me realize that life is really simple. My responsibility is to let him be happy, feed him, play with him and take him on walks until the time comes.

I guess my point is that our lives are limited and that we shouldn't waste time being mad, unhappy or grumpy. However, most of us don't look at our time as finite. We think the number X is thousands of days away. Looking at my dog's life from my perspective helps me see my time in a different perspective.

Maybe there's some giant sahuaro cactus looking at our life the same way!

And I could write a book about dogs and what they can teach us. My amazing dog is sitting by me as I write this. You may have seen this story, but I thought I'd share it, anyway:

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolf hound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life - - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

 

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[jon.a]

Regaining my ability to walk after drinking myself into a wheel chair
Surviving a heart attack almost 2 years ago

Why do I still smoke?
Because I can
The heart attack didn't kill me or scare me enough

I'm switching to e-cigarettes.

I quit the e-cig's last month.

 

[TonyStark]

Family, friends, music.

 

[404profound]

Pain. I've learned to not only become tolerant of psychological and physical pain, but to embrace and even seek it. There is no route to authentic growth without pain. I no longer pursue entrepreneurship - or anything - with visions of pleasure. I do it for the growth, and thus the pain.

 

[The Abundant Man]

The fact that it's 1 out of 600 million sperm that fertilizes an egg. That allows me to be alive right now. 1 out of billions of people who have ever lived on this planet.

This in itself is a miracle.

The blue dot upon trillions of planets and stars is planet earth:

 

[LuckyPup]

The fact that it's 1 out of 600 million sperm that fertilizes an egg. That allows me to be alive right now. 1 out of billions of people who have ever lived on this planet.

This in itself is a miracle.

The blue dot upon trillions of planets and stars is planet earth:
View attachment 23643

Perspective.

 

[timmy]

Of late...I tend to wake up content and grateful... Why ! .. Well for starters the ceiling didn't fall in on me and bury me alive during the night. The bit I value is to be able to continue with my quest to make a positive difference in the world. I don't give any human the privilege to make me angry or upset. Doesn't mean I'm incapable of it though !

 

[B. Cole]

The fact that it's 1 out of 600 million sperm that fertilizes an egg. That allows me to be alive right now. 1 out of billions of people who have ever lived on this planet.

This in itself is a miracle.

The blue dot upon trillions of planets and stars is planet earth:
View attachment 23643

I get lost in thoughts about the universe, where we are and what we don’t know quite often. It’s beautiful to me, the vastness, the power and the places that we can only conjure for now.

I’m appreciative of life as I look back at those who aren’t here any more. My dad, my grandparents. A handful of friends. My best friend’s wife to be, that left way too early. Those are lives that are lived, in varying degrees. Each came and went with lessons for us that remain to ponder, apply and use to make better. I appreciate the lessons and love they left me.

The warm brown glow of my wife’s eyes, framed with the soft beginnings of a wrinkle at the corners, a reminder of time that triggers contemplation of our entry into mid-life as the last of our 30’s slip by. It makes me sad, but appreciative. That shared stare reminds me that this moment is just that - a moment, and is best at least as a moment fully lived and appreciated.

As we age together, we do silly things. We spontaneously dance in the kitchen. We have funny, non-relevant nicknames for each other. We sometimes get to work a few minutes late on purpose, because time spent eating breakfast together meant more in the moment than being on time. We work out together, something we both hate but at least hate together. And we try much harder to be tolerant of our differences.

These things, and the angst as pages turn by and bring closer our inevitable epilogue, make me appreciate life.

 

[Ninjakid]

I just think existence in itself is beautiful.

We are capable of absolutely anything and everything. Anytime supposed limits have been accepted by people, they've been broken.

Possibility and beauty is literally endless.