Learn to appreciate THE SMALL STUFF

Being more grateful for what we have could leave us feeling more fulfilled, says Samantha Wood

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Some years ago, I was lucky enough to travel to Senegal with a charity to see the clean-water pumps they were funding. We visited tiny, mud-hut-type villages, where the people had little food, needed to trek for miles to fetch water to drink and wash with, and - apart from a few worn-out clothes - had pretty much nothing.

But the one thing nearly all of them had was a genuine lust for life - a pure, unadulterated joy I'd never seen before. A happiness that even with my warm home, stocked kitchen cupboards, widescreen TV and full-fibre broadband, I'm still not sure I've ever truly felt.

It radiated from the women and the children I spent time with, and when I asked one mother what it was that made her so happy, she said, 'I just feel so lucky - every single day I wake is a gift.'

Does every day feel like a gift to you? Because, I'm ashamed to say, it doesn't to me. I feel overwhelmed by the number of plates I have to spin (and wash), and disappointed by the things I don't have and haven't achieved.

We're constantly told to strive for more, for bigger, for better - to reach for the stars - but is that leaving us missing out on the joy of all that we do have?

'When you truly live in the present moment, you can find abundance everywhere you look,' says transformational life coach Jacquelynn Cotten. 'But our fast-paced, innovative lifestyles have left us constantly wanting more, and unable to appreciate and feel gratitude for the lives that we're living right now.'

Life in the fast lane