appreciation in scarcity

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: appreciation in scarcity 🤲 

“you only realize how good you had it once it’s gone.” 

we often feel gratitude for things once they’re lacking. very rarely are we grateful for things when they’re in abundance. this in turn warps something as beautiful as gratitude into feelings of despair and regret. regret for not savouring it, not appreciating it.

this is because we’re wired to question and reason when we’re sad or upset, and not when we’re happy or content. 🤔 when we’re content, we live blissfully ignorant and take the factors building up this contentment for granted. when we’re sad, we look for things to blame and long for those factors when they were in abundance.

this all sounds pretty vague, so let me contextualize this with an example.

in sf, i was having the time of my life rollerblading every single day. i was only able to do this because of the perfect weather i was granted daily. the roads were clear, and a t-shirt sufficed to keep me warm.

when i got home in canada, i only gained an appreciation for the sunlight and weather that i took for granted when i couldn’t rollerblade anymore. thank you cold, icy canada (not). 😍 

rather than thinking, “wow it’s so great to be rollerblading every day, i’m grateful for this weather and the privilege that i’m physically able to do so,” those aspects went unacknowledged until i realized their absence while at home.

one mindset shift i’ve taken on that has made a huge difference on my happiness has been expressing gratitude in the present, rather than after the fact. i think this mindset single-handedly carried me up mount kilimanjaro with a smile on my face. it’s also why i’m able to confidently say that the hike was my favourite part of my entire tanzania trip (extremely hot take). 🏔️ 

appreciate every happy moment, because they aren’t guaranteed. if you’re feeling joy, reflect on why and that will point you towards where you should be directing your gratitude. it doesn’t always have to be an outward expression of appreciation, just acknowledging it internally does wonders.

gratitude converts small joys into long-term happiness and contentment. 💗 

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