Stoic Coffee Break

182 - Want What You Have

Apr 12, 2021

Reflect on the importance of appreciating what you already have, finding happiness in your own circumstances, and cultivating appreciation and presence through practicing abstinence and imagining life without certain relationships and possessions.

07:30

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Quick takeaways

Appreciate the things you already have in life and be grateful for them, rather than focusing on what you lack.

Reflect on what it would be like to be deprived of something you treasure, which deepens appreciation and cultivates gratitude.

Deep dives

Appreciating What We Have

In this podcast episode, the speaker encourages listeners to appreciate the things they already have in life. Rather than focusing on what we lack, it is important to take time each day to want what we already possess and be grateful for it. The speaker highlights the tendency to compare ourselves to others and desire what they have, but reminds us that we can't truly know what someone else's life is like or what challenges they may be facing. Accepting our own fate and working with what we have is emphasized as a key aspect of gratitude and happiness. By appreciating what we have, we can be present in our own lives and find contentment.

Introduction

2min

Appreciating What We Have and Being Mindful of Wanting What Others Have

4min

Appreciating What We Have

2min

"Don’t set your mind on things you don’t possess as if they were yours, but count the blessings you actually possess and think how much you would desire them if they weren’t already yours."— Marcus AureliusWhen we think about things that we want in our lives, we also need to think about the thing that we already have, and appreciate those things. It’s easy for us to get stuck in the mindset of only focusing on the things that we don’t have in our lives. We focus on what we are lacking as a person and where we consider ourselves as failures. We can get too focused on all the material things that we don’t have and want.

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