If I could leave you with anything after reading this, I hope you start baskin’, and I don’t mean Baskin Robbins. I mean in the small things, the luxuries, and the good things you have because we, especially during these trying times, have to truly be grateful and conscious of it, or we will take it for granted.
A few days ago, I finally graduated from college, the big milestone in so many people’s lives. It’s the social marker that we have finally grown up, in a sense, and are about to venture into the real world. Many feel a sense of excitement and a sense of accomplishment for doing something of this magnitude, but I feel like, Well, I did it. I know it is greatly different from how I’m supposed to act and feel, especially compared to my peers. It’s not like during the 5-year college journey that I wasn’t ecstatic about this milestone coming to pass, but I think along the way I forgot how great this feat truly is. Many go to college but not everyone finishes. Somehow, I was lucky to, or rather blessed to.
It got me thinking about a lot of other things I take for granted, such as having a car, both my parents being alive, my health, and many other things that others wish they could have. I took all of these things for granted, unknowingly thinking this was usual and discounted the fact that I’m blessed.
There are many people who still wish they had their parents or a parent, many who wish their health was better than it is presently, and countless people who wish they had a college degree. But somehow, someway, I have all three. So one could say I’m blessed. I’m not one to boast about my accomplishments or blessings, you could say unless I created the cure for cancer or something along those lines. Maybe that led me down the path I’m currently on of taking everything for granted. My parents always did say I was too chill for my own good. But recently, I heard a powerful quote that says, never take your wins for granted, no matter how small. This shoe of a quote couldn’t have fit a better foot than mine and countless others who feel like this in respect to their lives. This experience, and countless others like this, have taught me one thing, wins don’t happen every day, nor to everybody, so when you have one cherish it because more than likely you earned or deserve it.
So if you’re like me and struggle with being grateful or conscious of your good fortune, it all starts with small things you change or do differently. Such as being happy or ecstatic like it’s your first win or accomplishment of your life about all the good and lucky things that happen to you no matter how small. Even if it’s getting an extra wing in your Wingstop order, these small changes will, over time, make dramatic changes in your life. I remember great athletes, bodybuilders, and even my own therapist once say something along the lines of, it’s the compilation of the small things that have the greatest effect. Implement these small changes in your life so your future self will thank you.
