While we have to deal with our fair share of obstacles and pitfalls in our time on planet Earth, life is beautiful. Perhaps it takes going through turmoil and pain to garner an appreciation for all the beauty life offers us each day. Most of us have been abundantly blessed with excellent opportunities, family, friends, health, and material comforts.
Of course, much of the planet still deal with problems that the Western world doesn’t face, such as poverty and poor living conditions. However, if you travel to third world countries, you often see that people still find a reason to smile despite the struggles they face each day. Perhaps they value what little they do have because their societies don’t place as much emphasis on accumulating material items to find happiness. As long as these families have food to eat, clean water, shelter, and family, they don’t need anything more than that.
Maybe we should adopt this same concept, especially in westernized countries. By looking at all the simple things that make life beautiful, we can find peace and joy in our hearts, as well as the strength to keep moving forward.
Here are 15 things that make you realize that life is beautiful:
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Family
In the hardest times, no one will support you like your family. No matter how far you fall, your family will reach into the depths and pull you back up. We all need a support system to get anywhere in life because we weren’t meant to go through struggles and triumphs alone. Even if all your friends leave you, you lose your job, or your relationship turns sour, your family will still welcome you back home with open arms.
Life is beautiful because of the people who stand by our side no matter what – family.
Exercise is one vital part of living a beautiful life.
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Friends
Second, to our families comes friends – they listen to our problems, give us a shoulder to cry on, and make fond, beautiful memories with us. Whether they get us into trouble during a wild night on the town or sit with us in a deep conversation for hours, good friends make life worth living. Sometimes you tell your friends things that you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with family, so they play an essential role in our lives.
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Nothing lasts forever
Because life doesn’t go on forever, or at least this life, we can have a particular appreciation for its impermanence. If it lasted for an eternity, we would start to take things for granted and grow downright bored with our experience. The fact that no pain or pleasure goes on forever should make us realize that life is beautiful in the short time we do get to experience it. Treasure the good things in your life and learn the lessons from unfortunate situations.
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We get to choose our destiny.
Some people believe in fate, but we should have an appreciation for the fact that no matter our circumstances, we can choose to write a different story. We all are born into different situations, but by the power of our consciousness, we accept our actions. Of course, we can’t always know where these actions will lead us. However, we at least make our own decisions and not let our circumstances hold us back from achieving our goals.
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Nature
When you look around you at the trees towering above you, sheltering you from the sun or at the birds singing their funny songs, you can’t help but think that life is beautiful. Even on the worst days, the sheer beauty that surrounds us in nature should make us grateful for this human experience. Nature gives us life, so when you wake up tomorrow, give thanks for the sun shining its light on you, and the food you eat nourishes your body, for these allow you to keep enjoying life’s gifts.
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Love
Whether you find love in a romantic relationship, a friendship, or your family, love keeps the world spinning. Without love, we would see utter destruction and chaos, and even though those have a place in this reality, love and kindness keep these forces from annihilating the planet. You can find love everywhere – in a smile from a stranger, a baby’s infectious laugh, or a tight hug from a dear friend. Love helps us remember that life is beautiful and to have an appreciation for the people and the beings that share this planet with us.
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The opportunity to keep learning
We came to this planet to learn valuable lessons and skills for our soul’s evolution. In today’s world, you can master pretty much any new skill you set your mind to! From musical instruments to coding a website to painting a masterpiece, you can gain new skills in any arena you choose. Don’t let time pass by you without taking up some hobby that brings you joy. With so much to learn on this planet, we have no reason to let boredom or laziness hinder our progress.
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Food
This list of what makes life beautiful wouldn’t be complete without listing food! Of course, we should strive to eat food from nature as much as possible, as our bodies need certain nutrients to survive. However, indulging in ice cream or cake every once in a while won’t hurt. With so many different foods to try from various cultures around the world, you could probably live for many long years and still have yet to try it all.
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Travel
Seeing new places keeps our spirits high, and our curiosity satisfied. As humans, we naturally want to learn about different cultures and ways of life, and travel allows us to expand our horizons. Earth is an incredibly gorgeous place to live, so we should take advantage of our ability to explore and have an appreciation for different landscapes and cultures around the globe.
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The blessing of being able to experience life through our senses
Even the pleasure of having senses at all to witness and experience the world through makes life beautiful. Our full understanding of the world around us couldn’t be possible without being able to think, hear, smell, taste, see, or feel. The ability to touch using your arms and legs to perform tasks is also a blessing because not everyone can do this. Make sure when you wake up every morning to give thanks for the universe, providing you with the ability to experience life as you do each day.
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Animals
We couldn’t forget about our furry friends on this list of why life is beautiful! Whether you have a cat, dog, gerbil, bird, or reptile as a pet, I think we can all agree that animals make life so much better. After a hard day of work or school, it just feels fantastic to cuddle up with your best friend and enjoy that special bond between humans and animals. This notion also applies to an appreciation we feel for animals in the wild, because every creature is here for a reason in the circle of life.
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You can change your perspective.
As much as we don’t want to hear it sometimes, we get to choose how we feel and think about things. Through positive affirmations and meditation, we can change our mindset to become more open, loving, and peaceful. No matter how negative or cynical you feel, you can alter your consciousness if you choose.
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Peace and quiet
After being out and about in the world all day, doesn’t it feel so rejuvenating to sit on the couch, curl in with a good book, and relax? In a world full of noise and chaos, we can always have an appreciation for some rest and decompression in a tranquil place.
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Music
Music is an indisputable universal language that brings together all cultures. Whether you like R&B, country, rock, or chill music, researchers have discovered that music releases dopamine and other feel-good hormones. No wonder humans have been drawn to music since we came to this planet!
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Our creativity
They say that Earth without art would be “Eh,” and we agree with this statement. Humans have been given creative abilities to make sense of the world around them. Think about how monotonous and bland life would seem without music, art, movies, graphic designs, memes, and every other creative outlet on the planet.
Final thoughts about what makes you realize life is beautiful
Life is beautiful for many reasons, even though it has its fair share of troubles. Without struggles, though, we couldn’t have an appreciation for all the good on this planet. Food, family, friends, travel, nature, love, animals, music, and tranquility all make this experience worth it. Plus, knowing that it doesn’t last forever and that we can always choose a different experience by altering our mindset and intentions makes life a wondrous and rewarding ride. No matter where you are in your life today, we hope this list inspired you to count your blessings!
