Learn to like

Learn to like

For most of us the average day includes a mix of things we both look forward to and things we don’t look forward to. We look forward to coffee in the morning, we regret that we have to go to work; we look forward to coming home at the end of the day, we dislike that we have to do household chores like vegetable shopping. But how much of your life are we giving up if you dread, dislike, regret and don’t look forward to? Conservatively let us say half the time of your average day? It is thus only logical reasoning to say that, based on this estimate, you’re giving up half of your entire life. And you’re giving it up simply because you aren’t looking at your life from a healthy perspective.

Perspectives are our view points of various aspects of life. When we don’t look forward to something—when we don’t enjoy it—we aren’t very present in that current moment. It’s like life is just passing us by, and we’re just waiting for it to pass so we can get on with the more fun or interesting parts of each day. When we get caught up in this waiting-for-better-moments routine, we aren’t actively living, are we. We end up passive, joyless, unhappy, and unfulfilled. This is what occurs when we spent time waiting for enjoyable things to come to us.

Let us for a moment consider finding some element of happiness in everything. Like the teamsmanship we enjoy at work, or the more aspects of work that you learn at office. Looking forward to even the smallest parts of your day can not only make that day more enjoyable, but it can also improve your outlook on life, help you appreciate the things you have, keep you from getting stressed out, and help you have better relationships. Look forward to each day and you’ll realize the millions of silver linings you’ve been ignoring, if only because you weren’t looking for them. Maybe the first time you actively decide to look forward to going to work, you’ll realize how lucky you are to simply have a job. The next day you look forward to work, you might remember a kind act that someone at the office did for you the previous day and look forward to repaying that action.

Once you start looking forward to things more often, you’ll find more and more reasons to appreciate and be excited for everything that comes your way. Look forward to paying your bills. You’re buying a roof over your head—something that other people in the world might never have the luxury to afford. Look forward to sitting in traffic during rush hour; think of it as down time to reflect on the events of your day. I might sound a little crazy to you right about now if you’re used to hating all of these things. Bills and traffic, after all, are never something to look forward to, right? Only if you choose to have that perspective about them.