It can be so easy to take things for granted in life. Our brains are wired to become numb to reoccuring stimuli so that you can be alert when something does change in your environment. Therefore, we often do not fully appreciate these things that are there for us everyday. We come to expect them and we have to remind ourselves that nothing is permanent. Every hello has a goodbye. Waking up in the morning is one example of something that is completely automatic. Many of us do not wake up and immediately feel a sense of immense gratitude to be able to experience life as a human being for another day. We often wake up, already preoccupied with what we are doing that day, what emails we need to send, what we're doing after work, etc.
There was one question that completely changed my perspective on how much of a blessing it is to be able to wake up in the mornings:
“If someone offered you $10,000,000 dollars but on the condition that you wouldn’t wake up tomorrow, would you take it?”
Rather than thinking about the next day as a chore or dreading to face the day, this question is a helpful reminder that waking up, something so automatic and mindless, is worth more than astronomical amounts of money.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Since I have left college, there have been lots of days where I wake up with the mindset that a new day is a punishment rather than a gift. I have found myself wishing away time since middle school. As if my life has been one long waiting room. Waiting and waiting for me to be in a place where I feel comfortable and secure with myself and my environment.
With that being said, when I think about this question, I am reminded that I wouldn’t take any amount of money if it meant not waking up tomorrow. Waking up is a gift and it is important that we make the necessary changes in our lives so that we can become more appreciative of the life we have. This can be done through gratitude practices, meditation, meeting basic health and nutritional needs, and doing things that make you feel alive. I hope that if you ever have similar feelings, you can find solace in this hypothetical.