12 Reasons You Should Appreciate Your Life

Sometimes we get so caught up in our trivial issues or stresses of everyday life that we forget to appreciate so many things. It's not until something happens, whether that be the death of someone young or a country suffering due to war or a natural disaster, that we usually take a look around and think - wow, I'm actually very fortunate.



1. In the UK, we live in a time and place where women now have the right to vote, to work, to choose whether we want to have children and to receive an education. Think how different your life might be if we were not able to do those things. Many people did and do live in a place where those things we take for granted are not available.

2. If you are in a position where you are able to choose what you are going to eat each day, you are fortunate. Those people that you see sat on street corners, they don't have that luxury. They don't care what they eat and they don't get a choice, they just want to eat. They are still human.

3. If you are physically fit and healthy. Have you ever been unwell and thought to yourself "Why don't I appreciate feeling well everyday, when I feel better I will appreciate it more!". But we never do. Within a few days, we go back to taking it for granted. People who suffer from conditions or illnesses that
put them in pain on a daily basis, truly appreciate the days or moments that they feel good.

4. If you have been abroad or travelled. The world is such a beautiful, diverse place and it can be truly enlightening to see how other cultures live. But not everyone gets that chance. Not everyone can afford to travel and not everyone has access to transport to allow them to travel. Appreciate every journey you've taken and every one you will take.

5. Again, in the UK, we live in a time and place where being gay, bisexual or transgender is not a crime, and everyday, it is becoming more and more socially accepted. Not everyone is able to embrace who they are, due to the place they live, the beliefs of their family or the time they live in. We should be grateful we live in a country and time where people are not being arrested or killed for their sexuality.

6. If you have access to the internet, running water, transportation, warmth and so many other things. You are blessed. We should be grateful that we have these things that we take for granted and if they weren't available to us, we would fall apart. Some people don't have those luxuries.

7. If you have experienced heartbreak. Whether that heartbreak was losing a family member or a pet or a relationship ending - heartbreak can only occur if you've experienced love and loss. There is nothing better in this life than love - and I'm not just talking about the typical relationship love, I mean the love of a close friend, the love of a family member, the love of your pet. As much as the heart break sucks, the love was probably worth the pain.

8. If you have at least one person you can speak to if you are feeling down. Many people take this for granted but think of the elderly people who no-one visits or calls, think of the homeless people who can go days without speaking to anyone. We should appreciate having people in our lives who do care and will be there for us.

9. We should appreciate the world around us. The world is a beautiful place and you can find inspiration and beauty everywhere if you just open your eyes. Put that phone down for a minute and take in the beauty. If you live
in a city, appreciate how diverse and multi-cultural it is. If you live by the sea, appreciate seeing the bright blue water on a sunny day. If you live in the countryside, appreciate the greenery and livestock.

10. If you have a comfy bed to sleep in at night. My husband and I were homeless for a short period of time when we first got into a relationship. We had to sofa surf or sleep in our car. After a few nights of being homeless, we were given a double mattress on the floor of an empty room. This felt like a five star hotel compared to where we had been staying. Everything is relative.

11. If you are able to do good things for people. If you are in the position that you can donate a couple of pounds to charity, if you can tell someone that they're beautiful and make their day, if you can make someone else smile, your life is blessed. It will make you feel good to do these things but it will make them feel even better. Spread love! (I sound like a hippy right now so I will wrap things up..)

12. If there is someone in your life, who loves you, cares about you, helps you and doesn't try to change you, hold onto that person and appreciate them. You don't know what is going to happen and you don't know when you might lose them. So tell them you love them, thank them for everything they do for you, tell them how much you appreciate them.



If you have just one of these things, then you have a reason to be grateful and appreciate your life. Don't measure how good your life is based on material possessions or money or in comparison to those you see on social media. Measure you life based on the love you have, the beauty of the world and the luxuries you might take for granted.

Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x