You can be grateful and want more

Have you ever shared your discontentment with someone only to hear "You should be grateful for what you have!"? Is that something you say to yourself when you consider where you are and that despite outward success, it feels like something is missing? 

I confess: This kind of messaging drives me batshit crazy. 

It drives me nuts because I dealt with this myself and it would confuse me. I was fully capable of seeing and appreciating all of the great things I had going for me and still wanted life to feel different. Did that make me bad? Wrong? Ungrateful? When I would tell coworkers I didn't want the corporate life anymore, some would look at me like I was in need of medication, perhaps sedation. Was I serious? Did I really think there could be anything better than where we were? 

If you have experienced this—whether you say it to yourself as a way of diminishing your desires or someone else says it to you as a way of keeping you in check—know that this is the real truth: 

You can be grateful for what you have and desire more from life. 

Speaking of wanting more! If you’d like a more in-depth discussion of this topic, please check out my podcast on the same topic!

It doesn't make you bad, wrong or ungrateful. It makes you HUMAN.

When you accomplish something that energizes and inspires you, it makes zero sense that you would then be content to sit back and never aspire to anything again. It's healthy to want more. We are here to have experiences, realize our potential, enjoy life to the fullest. Resigning yourself to where you are because it's better than where a lot of others are is the wrong approach. Be grateful and appreciative for the abundance in your life. For the roof over your head, the food on your table, your health and so on. At the same time, acknowledge your desires as legitimate and natural. The more aligned you are, the more energy you have for the world around you and for others in need.

Instead of feeling guilty for wanting, think of how you can help those who have less than you at every step and how much more powerfully you can make an impact the more fulfilled you are personally.