4 Ways You’re Probably Taking Yourself For Granted

Matt ClarkFeb 26, 2015

The person who appreciates you the least may actually be the person reading this right now. You’re probably taking yourself for granted.

Everyone wants to be appreciated. It’s a need that all of us have. Sometimes people are made to feel bad for their need to feel needed. I don’t think that’s something we need to feel bad about. All of us are looking for the place where we belong. In a crazy world, we’re trying to find our fit, the place or the people or the dreams or the things that make us feel alive.

In our search for significance, we long to feel appreciated. Not necessarily for what we do, but also for who we are. But hey, it’s also nice to feel appreciated for what you do. To know that others value your contribution to the world, and to feel like what you bring has made a difference in someone else’s life.

But I think one of the most unfortunate realities for many people is that the person that appreciates them the least is often themselves.

There are enough negative voices out there telling you all the things you’re not. But this time around I’d love to be a voice who tells you 4 reasons you’re actually incredibly valuable and special. Let’s talk about some of the areas you’re probably taking yourself for granted, and why you probably shouldn’t.

#1: Your friendship

I wonder what it’s like to be your friend. Well, maybe *I* know what it’s like to be your friend if I’ve had the fortune of knowing you personally, but I wonder if you’ve ever thought about what it’s like having you in your world. What would it be like to have you for a friend? Or someone like you?

Think about how encouraged you would be having someone like you in your life. Imagine all the good times you would bring. Think about all the ways you would be able to invest in you, as you do for so many others. Imagine how reassuring it would be to have someone you could trust so deeply, and know that they’re actively seeking out your best interests.

And now take a moment to realize how others get to feel every day that you’re in their life.

We only see ourselves from the inside – we don’t get to see ourselves from the outside. We don’t actually always get to see how appreciated we really are, and even when people tell us, we’ll often filter it through how we feel about ourselves. How lonely or empty or different we’ve felt recently or over the years. And yet so many people in your life are actually deeply blessed because they know you.

Never take that for granted. I don’t.

#2: Your finances

How much money do you need to be happy?

Intentional gap there, because you should actually think about that. At what level of income will you finally say, “hey, you know what, I’m pretty happy with what I’m able to do with my money”. Is it 20000? Is it 40000? Do you need to jump up to a 70k or 80k position? How about 90k? Will you have made it then? What about 110k? 200k? Surely you’d be okay with $1 million. $3 million? $30 million?

Crazy to think of how many people are actually on those higher amounts of income thanks to their fame or royalties or success in business, and yet so many of them are unfulfilled or discontent with what they have.

Imagine if you could just be happy with what you had. That way, no matter what your income was, you’d be able to take your happiness with you.

The truth is, you and I can be happy regardless of our financial situation. And I think way too often we’re probably taking our position for granted. We complain about how much more money we wish we had while we’re watching our cable TV subscription in our air-conditioned room on our expensive couch after spending $100 on petrol.

Perspective. The way you’re treating your money now is the way you’ll treat more later, so why not fully appreciate the power of the finances you do have in your hand right now, and use them to build a better world for someone else?

You’re in a more powerful financial situation than you realize.

#3: Your opportunity

What are you waiting for?

Hah, another one for an intentional gap. But seriously – do you know? Many people are waiting til they’re older to do what they think they should do. Then 5 years, 10 years, 20 years go by, and all of a sudden they’re too old to take that opportunity any more. What changed? Where was this magic perfect time for us to act that we somehow missed?

Probably at the very start.

So many times we stare at the opportunity before us with question marks that we never bother to find answers for. I actually think it’s very important to find those answers. But so many times we don’t even take that step until the door has finally closed, the ship has sailed, and the moment has passed.

Could it actually be that you know exactly what you should be doing, but your fear of change, of losing control, of the unknown, is keeping you from taking the opportunities that have been given to you?

A song written by Joth Hunt has been one of the anthems of my whole year so far, with the chorus beginning with the phrase – “this will be the best time of our lives”. And it really can be. We’re still young. We have so much ahead of us.

And you have so much in front of you right now. Your moment is now. The moment you’ve been waiting for is here. It’s actually been waiting for you to stop taking your opportunity for granted and start turning it into reality.

Would you rather hold on to your fear, or take hold of what could be yours if you’d just act on it?

#4: Your calling

Have you ever wondered why you were born in the year you were born? In the period of history you’re in? Why this time? Why not 300 years ago? Why not 3000 years ago? And why were you born the way you were into the family you were born into? Why not someone else’s family? Why not as a man? Why not as a woman? Why that city? Why that country? Why did you go to that school?

Why do you notice certain things that no one else seems to notice? Surely someone else gets kept awake some nights thinking about the things you think about.

There is something very intentional about you coming to earth for such a time as this.

And I know sometimes you say that you’re not sure what you should be doing. But in truth, you do, don’t you? You’ve had those dreams. You received those words. You’ve had those desires since you were just a child.

Your calling is so important.

And yet so often we either run from it, ignore it, or despise it. It’s usually because we’ve seen how great the cost of our calling is. To others, they only see how good it is for them. But to us, we see the weight it is to us in our life.

And yet without your calling, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

We need you. We need the part you have to play. The puzzle isn’t complete without your piece. Don’t take yourself for granted. We certainly don’t.

—

Hopefully you’ve been reminded of just how great you and the things in your life really are. I know you’re probably taking yourself for granted right now, but if you could just see how awesome these parts of your life are, you would start to appreciate yourself as much as we do.

How about you? What do you think are some of the ways we take ourselves for granted?