Amongst the many questions, clients ask me, one that came up often is: what is the contrast between enjoying what we have and having what we enjoy? After much analysis and consideration, I developed the answer I’m sharing with you in this article.
Enjoying what one has is about cherishing our circumstances, regardless of whether they are favorable. For example, being born from a financially unstable family is a situation we can’t alter, that we must learn to cherish. When you enjoy what you have, you develop the uncanny ability to see the silver lining in everything. That is fundamental to happiness.
Having what we enjoy, on the other hand, presupposes a sense of agency. Unless ignorantly or unconsciously, anyone in their right mind would choose something they favor. It’s our duty to please ourselves whenever we can. That means if you are in a situation you loathe, you must take action to alter it. If being overweight embarrasses you, you owe it to yourself to get serious about exercising. You need to accept yourself while putting in the work it requires to reach the state you want. We may not readily be able to change an unwanted condition, but with time, we can make the necessary transformation.
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I will leave you with this Serenity Prayer by Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, which summarizes the idea of this article.
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Reinhold Niebuhr