Have you ever woken up thinking how much of a privilege it is to just be alive?

Probably not.

It is not in your nature to do so.

The human ego will instead cause you to jump right into "what do I have to do today? What has to get done? Who do I have to please/impress today? Where do I have to be? At what time do I have to be there? What do I not have in my life that I still want?

Immediately upon waking, you allow your monkey brain to take over.

And more often than not, that brain will control your thoughts and actions throughout your day.

Only to then repeat the next day...and the next...and the next...until sometimes you cannot even remember what happened in the last few days, weeks, months.

When I say "you" I also mean me, aka we.

This is something I have struggled with my whole life.

Nothing changes if nothing changes though.

And the past few years, I have drastically changed my life to become aware of how privileged I am to wake up every single morning.

I no longer jump right on my phone upon rising. I no longer chug coffee, read emails, or "work" before I CHOOSE to. I no longer take the sunrise and the precious sounds of the morning for granted.

Don't believe me? Here is a picture of me writing this. Almost every morning I spend outside. Legs crossed on my front porch. Stoic Coffee break podcast playing in the background. Listening to the birds talk to each other.

This simple act of slowing down and realizing the privilege of waking up every morning has had a profound impact on my life. And this is an impact I hope transfers over to you!

Today I want you to think about this one question... if you had to go the entire rest of your life with having only what you've got now, would you have the ability to be happy? Most likely.

You probably have food, shelter, and loved ones around you. What more do you need?

Oh what a privilege it is to wake up in the life you currently have.

Remember that.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

#thriveon

CJ

p.s. today I am grateful. I am simply GRATEFUL.