There is something about New. New is exciting and fresh. A welcome escape from the predictability of what already is.

Not that long ago, what already is was once new itself. But time has a way of making the extraordinary quite ordinary, and we again hunger for the Next Big Thing.

I’m a big fan of New. I’m a big fan of innovation, expansion, and evolution. Often, though, I wonder if our cultural obsession with the Next Big Thing is really more about distracting ourselves from our own perceived shortcomings of what we think is missing in our own lives.

My greatest moments are when I can look at my life and rediscover a sense of humble amazement for all the good I already have in my life. To find contentment and joy in what already is.

Gratitude is the great game changer.

Life certainly isn’t perfect. I’ve come to wonder, though, if perfection is just some grand illusion we use to benchmark and justify our unhappiness. At times, life can seem dull, ordinary, and repetitive. In those moments, Henri Matisse reminds us there are always flowers for those wishing to see them. In those moments we can be inspired by all it is we already are and have or we can be weakened by what we perceive to be missing in our lives.

The choice, as always, is up to us.

It’s a great day to be you!