Whether it’s the amount of traffic we need to sit in every day on our way to and from work, our in-laws’ remarkable ability to push our buttons in every situation, or our income’s refusal to meet the rising cost of living, there are always things we wish we could change.

While we may not be able to actively amend a number of those challenges, we can change the way that we react to them. Complaining about them might get us some sympathy points from those ‘lucky’ enough to hear us out, but what tangible good does it actually do for us?

In hopes of helping us cut back on our tendency to complain, I’d like to present a short list of things we can instead love and appreciate about our life. I encourage you to not only read this list (or watch this video) now, but to also bookmark it or print it out for quick reference should you ever find yourself basking in negativity again.

1. You’re Alive

This might seem cliché, but when was the last time you genuinely gave thanks for the gift of life? Just in case you need the reminder, we are conscious beings inhabiting a vehicle of meat and bones that already has and will continue to experience an assortment of things in this life.

We have emotions, can interact and connect with other living beings, possess our own set of skills and talents, and have all had a completely unique human experience thus far. If that’s not something to be grateful for and love about life, then I don’t know what is.

2. You’ve Been Through a Lot and You’re Still Here 

While hardship may not be easy to endure while it’s happening, the fact that you are still here to read this article suggests that you made it through. You not only survived those moments when your shit seemed to hit the proverbial fan, but you’re also stronger (whether or not you choose to recognize that) because of them.

Love the fact that you are a warrior who has persisted through everything life has thrown your way, and focus on feeling grateful for how your character developed as a result. 

3. You’ve Laughed and Will Laugh Again 

I don’t need to sell you on how great laughter is, and I don’t care how challenging your life has been thus far — we’ve all experienced a number of moments where we could not be paid to stop laughing.

I’m referring to those moments where your eyes watered up and the muscles in your cheeks and stomach hurt from how hard you were cracking up. The fact that you are capable of experiencing that much joy and are going to experience it again is a pretty great aspect of life to love.

4. We Can Connect With So Many People, So Damn Easily 

The internet is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. On one side, it provides a platform to far too many people whose toxic intentions should never have been given greater voice, while on the other, it offers us all a medium to connect with one another like never before.

With just a mouse click and a few strokes on our keyboard we can connect to hundreds if not thousands of people, all while accessing a database that is now pretty well endlessly filled with content on virtually every subject. If that isn’t enough, the ways in which we can connect today are already mind-blowing, yet we all know that what’s available 10 years from now will make modern technology seem archaic.

5. Every Great Memory You Have 

Whether it was the birth of your child, the day you graduated from school, or the moment you mustered up the courage to ask your significant other out on a date, we all have certain memories that stand out more than others.

The reason these moments stand on a mental pedestal is because they offered an experience that was far more memorable than the likely mundane nature of your daily life. The fact that these greatest moments (no matter what they are to you) are a part of your life story thus far is definitely something to love and appreciate.

6. Relationships 

Let me start by clarifying that I am not solely referring to romantic relationships, but rather, our ability to forge relationships with one another as a whole. Whether they be familial, friendly, or romantic, our interactions with other people are an easy thing to love about life.

We have the ability to open up to others, to learn from their experiences, and to evoke emotions in one another amongst a gamut of other things that make life that much more interesting. Yes, relationships can be painful or heartbreaking at times, but they can also be fun and exciting, and regardless of how they end, they always enrich your life in some way. 

7. Your Imagination 

There are few things I love in this world more than my imagination. Not only has it been the source of so many great ideas that have now been made into a reality, but it has also allowed me to conceptualize so many things I’ll never consciously get the time to do.

Our conscious human experience is already so vast; the fact that it also comes with the ability to mentally forge entire worlds is like icing on the cake. While your imagination may have gotten you into trouble on a few occasions, you can still choose to love your access to it and all of the good it has done for you, too.

Do you enjoy light-hearted yet thought-provoking content like this? Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, and to like me on Facebook to see the new video and article that I release weekly as part of my mission to make personal development more interesting for both of us!