When Did You Start Taking It For Granted?

I read a book a few years ago that reminded me to enjoy the process. It reminded me to be present and enjoy the small things I can do to move toward the life I envision.

And I have been mindful of it over these past few years. But today, as I sit down and write, I write to you, seeing that I have lost that.

And in hopes of reminding myself about it, I am sharing this with you.

See, most of us learn to set goals. Most of us know how to write down our goals, break them into bite-sized pieces, and make the sacrifices to get us from point A to point B.

Yet, amid the pursuit, we get lost. We lose our way because we only focus on the big goal in the future.

We lose our appreciation for the small wins we have. We lose the gratitude for the everyday "mundane" things that were once a dream.

These little things we get to do become a responsibility, and we often forget the days when we longed to be able to do them.

We used to wish someone would see the value in our products. We hoped for customers who longed to buy what we created. Yet, today, we find ourselves blinded by the work and responsibility of delivering to our customers. We forget to be grateful for this part of the dream that we already have.

We feel the drag of promoting our business and forget about the days when even having a 'business' to talk about was just a dream.

In the pursuit of our bigger goals, we suck the fun and gratitude out of the things that were once a dream. We forget all the hard work it took to get here. We begin to take these little things for granted.

We do this not just in our business. It happens in relationships, family, careers, and everything else we do. See, our brains are wired to look for danger constantly.

We are constantly looking for where to put up defenses or attack next.

Our brains put the things we already worked hard to achieve on the back burner: That girl you once dreamed about taking to dinner. That one business partnership you dreamed of having. That weight you hoped to be.

Once you have it, your brain puts it in the back. Proirotiy, focus, and gratitude run in search of other things. This is why you need to challenge your brain.

You must learn to focus on being grateful for the things that were once dreams.

The Challenge

So, what have you been taking for granted? What was something you once dreamed about, something you have now but take for granted?