How to Love the Life You Already Have

 How to Love the Life You Already Have

You’ve probably heard the old saying “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

Perhaps you feel like it’s true. You look at other people’s lives, and you envy them. They seem to be doing so much better than you. They’ve got a great job. Lots of money. A happy home life.

They seem to have it all. And you can’t help wishing that you did, too.

But none of us ever really know what it’s like to live someone else’s life. Sure, your friends might be spending lots of money on dinners out, booze, fancy² gadgets³ … but for all you know, they’re deep in debt, or working long hours in jobs they hate.

No-one’s life is perfect – whatever it looks like from the outside.

Plus, it’s a safe bet¹ that some of your friends are looking at your life and thinking very similar things. Maybe they envy your dull but predictable job – you’re home on time every night. Maybe they see your great relationship with your spouse⁴ and kids – and they’d rather have that than any amount of money.

Whatever state your life is in, you’ve got a lot of good things. You just need to recognize them again.

Enjoy What You Have

One of the best ways to love your current life is to write a list of things you’re grateful for. It doesn’t matter if they seem small or insignificant⁵: little everyday moments of happiness count.

You might think of:

People who you’re grateful for – your family, friends, housemates, co-workers…

Treats which you enjoy – the smell of fresh coffee, the taste of dark chocolate, a long bath after a hard day…

Things which make your day easier – the dishwasher, online grocery shopping, fast internet access at work…

Anything special which you’ve grown accustomed to – your wedding ring, your smartphone, a favorite coat…

Happy moments – chatting with a friend, something which made you laugh, playing with your kids…

I’ll bet you can easily come up with five things every single day that you’re grateful for. Your life is full of good things – you just sometimes need to work a bit to see them.

Focus on the Good Points

When we’re thinking about future goals and ambitions, it’s easy to end up in quite a negative mood about the present. Perhaps you start thinking through all the things you want to change in your life: losing weight, getting fit, quitting smoking, switching jobs…

As well as thinking of what you might want to change, look at the areas of your life which are currently⁶ good. Maybe:

You get on well with your colleagues at work, and you’ve got a good relationship with your boss

You’ve got some real strengths – like being able to establish a quick connection with clients⁷, and being organised

Your house is set up pretty much how you want it – there might not be loads of space, but it feels like home

You’ve got some hobbies you really enjoy

…and so on. How could you make more of these good things? Perhaps you could spend more time on your hobbies, or concentrate on your particular strengths at work.

Live in the Moment

It’s appropriate to plan for the future, and to learn from the past – but it’s not a good idea to constantly have your mind on how “things will be better next year when…” or on “life was so much better last year because…”

Being able to live in the moment means appreciating what’s around you. It’s about having your attention on now, instead of reminiscing about what’s already gone, or worrying about what’s yet to come.

Living in the moment means:

Enjoying your days off, without constantly thinking about Monday morning.

Listening when someone’s talking to you, and being fully⁸ present in the conversation.

Taking time to stop and watch a beautiful sunset, or to enjoy the smell of fresh-mown grass.

Eating your meals more mindfully – instead of grabbing⁹ a sandwich on the run.

By keeping your attention on the present moment, the here-and-now, you can get much more enjoyment¹⁰ from the life you already have.

1 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

2 fancy   

n.想像力，幻想；喜好，爱；adj.想像的，时髦的，华丽装饰的，奢侈的；技巧的；vt.想象，自认为，喜好

参考例句：

• He seemed to have taken quite a fancy to her.他似乎相当喜欢她。
• I have a fancy that it's going to rain.我想大概要下雨。

3 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

4 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

5 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 clients   

n.顾客( client的名词复数 )；当事人；诉讼委托人；[计算机]客户端

参考例句：

• a lawyer with many famous clients 拥有许多著名委托人的律师
• She understood the importance of establishing a close rapport with clients. 她懂得与客户建立密切和谐的关系的重要性。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 grabbing   

v.抢先，抢占( grab的现在分词 )；（尤指匆忙地）取；攫取；（尤指自私、贪婪地）捞取

参考例句：

• The plane was grabbing for altitude. 这架飞机在抢占高度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sprang to his feet, grabbing his keys off the coffee table. 他一跃而起，从茶几上一把抓起自己的钥匙。 来自辞典例句

10 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。