Do you love the life you live?

Life has a way of passing us by, even as we’re busy attending to its trials and tribulations. Before we know it, moments have shifted, seasons have ended, and years have slipped by—almost as if life were avoiding our gaze. Sometimes, as if life were sorry it doesn't last forever, it sends us reminders to pay attention. An illness strikes, or a loved one passes away. Perhaps a near-death experience pulls us out of our stupor. But before long, life grabs us back into its daily churn, and lulls us into its distracted monotony.

Do you love your life? Or do you sometimes feel dissatisfied, certain that you would be a lot happier if you had a bigger home, better relationships, more money, exciting leisure activities, and the respect of your peers…

So many of us keep striving for happiness, convincing ourselves that a new outfit, a pay raise or a vacation, will somehow bring us closer. Many of us equate happiness with success – and success with money. But plenty of rich people aren’t happy.

On the other hand, you’ll often find people who seem to remain happy, cheerful and positive against all the odds. Perhaps they suffer long-term health problems, or they have little cash to spare for non-essentials, or life has dealt them some nasty blows … but they’re always smiling, and they’re uplifting to be around.

So how can you start loving the life you have, rather than making yourself miserable striving for one that you don’t?

Many of us have a tendency to think that other people have it better – or that our current circumstances aren’t as good as they were in the past. I will confess to this myself: far too many times over the past couple of years since my stroke. I had lots of free time, and although I didn’t have much cash, most of it was fairly “disposable” – I didn’t have any financial worries. I was ignoring the internals, like my much greater self-discipline and focus on the now.

Do you find yourself thinking anything like this?

Recognize that the grass will often seem greener on the other side. Rather than concentrating on what you miss from a previous situation, or on what your friends or colleagues have that you don’t, think about what you do have…

Make A List.

One great way to focus on all the good things in your life is to simply list them. Grab a piece of paper (or write it in an email to yourself, and jot down five things that you love about your life. Another way to do this is to write down good things that have happened during the past day or week. Perhaps you had a great conversation with a friend, or you saw a wonderful film at the cinema. Maybe you had some time to read a novel for once. Perhaps you got praised at work for a project you successfully completed.

Once you have figured out some of the great things that are present in your life, make a conscious effort to include these more often.

Stop Buying More Stuff.

Most of us have a lot of physical stuff – from furniture to clothes ect...

Please give this some serious thought: how often does buying something make you happier? It might give you a brief boost of pleasure – but does it make any real difference to your contentedness with your life? Is a new dress, shoes, home decor really going to improve your life? Remember the simplicity in life and all around you.

like most of us – you have a lot of stuff that is just sitting in cupboards and closets, start clearing some of it out. If you don’t use it, get rid of it: donate it to charity if you can, or recycle it. Living in a cluttered environment, especially one which induces guilt because you are surrounded by things you are not making good use of, it will drag your mood down.

And rather than buying more, make the most of some old favourites that have been forgotten.

So, let me ask you again: do you love your life?