If you want to find happiness, stop taking these surprising things for granted

We take a lot for granted.

A person with bright red hair is sitting outdoors, sipping coffee from a white mug, and looking into the distance. They are wearing a light-colored, checkered shirt and have their hair tied up in a bun. The background is slightly blurred and shows a street with cars.

There are countless things to be thankful for in life—so many, in fact, that if you tried to list them all, you’d have no time to actually enjoy any of them.

Chances are, though, that there are plenty of things that would never even get close to making your list because you either take them for granted, or you consider them undesirable.

What follows is a collection of 17 unusual things to be grateful for.

Some might challenge your way of thinking and others might trigger mini ‘aha’ moments in your mind.

So, without further ado…

1. The Diversity Of The Human Race

A diverse group of people sitting in a well-lit room, smiling and attentively listening to someone off-camera. The group appears engaged and cheerful, suggesting they are participating in a positive and interactive event or discussion.

Too often we allow our differences to grow into sources of conflict and contention.

But if people weren’t all so unique and individual, the world would be a far less enjoyable place to live.

It’s the very fact that we all have different desires, talents, and points of view that promotes new and exciting experiences.

If you suck what’s unique out of us, the world would be a dull and uninspiring place to be.

Without such great variety of people and cultures, we would miss out on all the wonderful food, music, entertainment, and ideas that evolve from distinct ways of living and thinking.

We would be left with a bland and monotonous existence that lacks inspiration and stimulation.

Whether it’s our race, our customs, our talents, our age, or our dreams for the future, the unique gifts we possess make this a wonderfully rich and vivid world to live in.

2. Traditions

A man wearing a traditional Scottish kilt plays the bagpipes while standing in a grassy field. The bright blue sky and expansive green field extend into the background, creating a serene outdoor setting.

There is something about the past that feels homely and comfortable, which is why we should rejoice in the traditions we observe.

Whether they are long-standing practices that have been passed down through the generations, or little things that you share with specific people, observing these rituals is a way to remember and respect that which has come before.

Traditions bind people together, giving them a sense of collective memory and belonging.

They keep us grounded, they remind us of valuable lessons, and they inspire responsibility to ourselves and to one another.

Observing traditions does not mean we have to let our minds dwell in the past. While we ought to remember the reasons for them, they should primarily act to enhance the enjoyment we experience in the present moment.

3. Innovation

A person in a black suit is sitting at a table, holding a cup of coffee with one hand and wearing a smartwatch on the other wrist. A smartphone with various colorful app icons is placed on the wooden table in front of them.

On the flip side of the coin from tradition is our ability to innovate and progress towards solutions to the problems we face.

The lifestyle that many of us are blessed with is only possible because of the free-thinking, forward-looking, ingenious minds of the innovators.

We are able to live longer and healthier lives than previous generations (even if we don’t all choose to), we can travel to and communicate with far off places at ease, we enjoy a huge array of material comforts that never used to exist, and we have far more choice than any one person could need.

There are also the intellectual pioneers—those who have shaped our societies and our cultures, those who have expanded our understanding of the universe, and those who explore the very meaning of our existence within it.

Since the dawn of time, there have been innovators, and without them we would never have moved forwards as a species.

We’d probably still be living in caves somewhere.

4. The Seasons

A young woman with curly hair and a hat leans on a wooden fence, holding a takeaway coffee cup. She is dressed in a red jacket and smiling, enjoying the golden sunlight of a fall day. The background is filled with colorful autumn foliage.

While less tangible in some parts of the world than others, most of us enjoy a degree of variability in our weather as the Earth orbits the Sun and the seasons pass accordingly.

We should be thankful for the changes that happen throughout the year because they remind us that time is forever moving forwards.

As winter turns to spring and then to summer and autumn, we experience different thoughts and emotions.

This ceaseless rhythm propels us into the future, but it also makes us cherish the present.

As with people, the variety in our weather provides ample enjoyment and opportunity that would otherwise be lacking. The cold, the warm; the wet, the dry, the windy, the calm—they all give us reason to be cheerful.

We get to enjoy the crispness of a winter morning, the fragrance-filled air of spring, the liberating warmth of the summer sun, and the colorful spectacle of autumn leaves.

5. Personal Growth

A man with brown hair and a beard sits at a wooden table by a window, writing in a notebook. He is wearing a gray shirt. A glass of a dark beverage sits on the table, along with other items like books, a bread roll, and various kitchenware in the background.

Change is an essential part of life, and while our physical growth largely grinds to a halt when we reach a certain age, we are able to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually right up until the day we die.

This gift of never-ending renewal and development means we can always have something to look forward to, knowing that there is a new potential to strive towards.

If we peaked as individuals when we still had many years ahead of us, it would leave us feeling helpless and worthless as we accepted the inevitable decay to come.

Happily, however, we don’t have to accept anything of the sorts; we are forever capable of learning, changing, and improving ourselves as people.

Even when our minds begin to let us down, the capacity to evolve spiritually is never beyond us.

6. Emptiness

A woman with blonde hair wearing a black outfit sits alone at a table in a restaurant, resting her face in her hands. The background is blurred, showing an indoor setting with plants and empty tables. The lighting is soft, creating a calm and contemplative atmosphere.

You may be wondering what emptiness is doing on a list of things to be thankful for.

Well, despite its association with suffering, unhappiness, and fear, feeling empty does not have to mean feeling bad.

On the contrary, it is often when we are able to rid ourselves of the burdens we carry—both emotionally and physically—that we are at our most content in life.

Emptiness is a way of expressing a desire to be free from worries, independent of material things, and in a state of mental stillness.

It is only when we stop identifying ourselves with what we are not that we can fully connect with what’s most real—the tangible experience of the present moment in its indescribable pureness.

Being empty means being open, it means allowing yourself to truly accept and embrace the situation as it is, without anxiety for the future or regrets about the past.

7. Our Senses

A young woman with eyes closed smiles softly while leaning close to two large lit candles on a dining table. The background is blurred, featuring a cozy indoor setting with warm ambient lighting.

We often take them for granted, but much of our experience of life comes through our five senses.

We can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste the world around us, and while it is quite possible to be content without one or more of them, there is little doubt our senses enrich our enjoyment of life.

Just try to imagine what it would be like if you were no longer able to see the beauty of the natural world, hear the symphony of music, feel the touch of a loved one’s hand on yours, smell the sweet perfume of fresh flowers, or taste the flavors in every mouthful of food.

These innate abilities may seem trivial to us, but we must never take them for granted.

They are what connect us to the universe we live in, and we would be much poorer without them.

8. Random Acts Of Kindness

A woman with long hair comforts a man who is visibly upset. She has one arm around his shoulder and her other hand on his arm. He is holding his head in his hands. Both are outdoors, and the background is blurred, focusing the attention on the pair.

It goes without saying that when someone shows you kindness, you should respond with gratitude, and this is just as true—maybe even more so—when the act is spontaneous, random, or anonymous.

When a complete stranger offers you their help in some way, it can result in feelings of confusion or wariness which are quite natural.

If you look beyond these feelings, however, you will most likely find someone who is giving their time and attention out of the pure goodness of their heart.

Take a wider view and it becomes clear that all of these random acts of kindness, when added up, make a huge difference to the world we live in.

Their sheer unexpected nature makes them all the more powerful because no request was made and no previous connection existed between the helper and the helped.

So we should be extremely thankful, as a society, for the people who go out of their way to make a positive difference to the lives of others.

9. Charity Workers And Activists

A group of people wearing light blue shirts and gloves are participating in an outdoor clean-up activity. They are collecting trash and debris in blue plastic bags on a grassy area with trees in the background under a sunny sky.

Staying with the kindness theme, there are groups and individuals who are fighting tirelessly for causes that impact our society and the world beyond.

Many people who work for charities, for instance, are volunteers who lend their time to support organizations delivering care, aid, medical breakthroughs, and other fantastic services.

Without these generous souls, many of these operations would cease to exist.

Likewise, there are those individuals who are so passionate about a particular cause that they take it upon themselves to act where others won’t.

There is no doubt that these campaigners and activists are making a huge positive contribution through their work; they push for new laws, protect what needs protecting, and fight against immoral and unjust behavior.

For most of us, our involvement with charity stops at the occasional bake sale, sponsorship, or donation.

We are lucky to have such dedicated people picking up the slack and doing the things that we are unable to do ourselves.

10. Bacteria

A person wearing a lab coat and blue gloves holds a petri dish containing various colorful bacterial or mold colonies against a bright background.

We have become so obsessed with cleanliness and the eradication of all seemingly malicious substances, that we forget how reliant we are on basic bacteria living in and on us.

For all our physical and mental might, there is a good chance that the human race would never have existed were it not for the trillions of bacteria we are home to.

On our skin, in our guts, and in every cavity you care to imagine live a whole host of friendly bacteria that help us function.

As the pinnacle of life as we know it, we humans are prone to illusions of grandeur, but when you consider how our supposedly mighty race owes its existence to the humble bacteria, you can see why we should be thanking them for all their hard work.

11. Other Simple Organisms

A woman with brown hair in a bun smiles while looking at a butterfly resting on a window. She is indoors, and sunlight filters through the window, casting a warm glow. She is wearing a floral print blouse and gently touching the glass near the butterfly.

It would be wrong to pay our respects to bacteria without acknowledging the vital role of all the simple organisms living on earth.

We may go on safari or watch nature documentaries to marvel at the animal kingdom, but how often do we think about the unseen, unloved mass of creatures that form the basis of all life?

From molds and fungi to plants and insects, the most basic of all living things deserve the greatest of respect.

It can be quite hard to fathom, but there really is a web of life; a complex relationship between every organism on this planet.

We take it all for granted, but if it weren’t for the likes of plankton and algae, we simply wouldn’t be here.

If that’s not a reason to be grateful, I don’t know what is.

12. Big Scares

A person with curly hair sits with their hands covering their face, appearing distressed. Another person sits next to them, extending a hand that the distressed person is holding onto. The background is blurred, focusing on the interaction.

We may not realize it at the time, but when we encounter something that really scares us, it can unleash all sorts of wonderful things in our lives.

Most commonly, it is instances that involve near death—either of ourselves or a loved one—that jolt us out of our listless existence and make us value every little detail from thereon in.

These events open our eyes and fill our hearts with a gratitude that might not have been there before.

Suddenly we are able to look at things through a whole new perspective and appreciate the people and things we have around us.

It might feel a little strange to be thankful for what is likely to be a highly distressing period, but if you emerge from it with greater zest for life, then this is something to celebrate.

After all, life cannot be defined by a single episode alone.

13. Failure

Two men in business suits and ties crouching in starting positions on a running track, ready to race. The background shows a blurred stadium with empty seating. The image symbolizes competition in the business world.

Most of us are afraid to fail because we see it as a sign of weakness and worthlessness.

But with the right mindset you can take failure and turn it into something for which to be thankful.

Failing at something is likely to be quite unpleasant, but it confers a sense of humbleness upon us that remains throughout our lives.

It reminds us that much of the value lies in the trying and that even when we are unsuccessful, we can take a lot from the experience.

It makes us more likely to encourage others when they, too, are feeling resistant to opportunities in their life, and it can make us respect the effort that others put into their own ventures.

14. Rejection

A woman with long dark hair looks serious and distant in the foreground. In the background, a man in a denim shirt covers his face with his hands, standing on a city street with blurred buildings and people. The scene suggests tension between them.

Nobody likes to feel rejected by another person, whether in a romantic setting, a work position, or as part of a feud between family or friends.

Yet rejection can also be the conception from which much greater things are born.

The future will remain forever unknown to us, but herein lies the reason to be thankful for rejection.

What we perceive as a negative at the time may, and often will, in some way lead to a lasting happiness further down the road.

Being passed over for a job can lead to other opportunities revealing themselves, and being turned down by someone you have feelings for is a sign that, however much you may have wanted it, the relationship was not meant to be.

15. The Unknown

A silhouette of a person standing alone in the middle of a dimly lit tunnel. The tunnel walls are rugged, and the ground is uneven. Bright light is visible at the tunnel's end, indicating the exit. The scene evokes a sense of mystery and adventure.

Not only is the future a complete unknown, there are many aspects of life and the universe as a whole that we will never fully understand.

Rather than run from the mysterious, we should be grateful to it for instilling a sense of awe and wonder in our minds.

Think back to when you were a child and the sense of amazement you experienced when learning about new, exciting things.

Discovery is a part of being human and it is the unknown that allows us to dream of possibilities that might one day become a reality.

If everything were known and nothing were uncertain, life would become a dull, colorless exercise rather than the vibrant, electrifying ride it is.

16. Pain

A woman with blonde hair wearing a pink sweater and blue jeans sits on a gray couch with several white and gray pillows, holding her stomach and appearing to be in pain.

You might think that a life free from pain would be sheer bliss, but in both the physical and emotional sense, pain is an essential feeling.

It is a warning sign that something is not quite right, a notice to take action now before things get worse.

Our bodies need the pain signal to alert us to cell or system damage, while our minds need pain to guide us away from situations that are detrimental to us.

If neither type of pain were felt, it would lead to a crumbling of our physical and mental wellbeing.

Pain is, therefore, very much something we should be thankful for.

17. The Unconscious Mind

A person with short, light hair and a beard stands outdoors with eyes closed, appearing peaceful. The individual is wearing a light-colored, striped shirt and is surrounded by lush, green foliage. Soft sunlight filters through the trees in the background.

It may not feel like it, but your life is largely in the hands of a silent player—a part of you that gets very little attention or appreciation.

That part of you is your unconscious mind.

There is simply no way that your conscious mind could ever handle the vast amounts of information that come streaming through your senses.

From simple things like your ability to walk, to the intricacies of your decision-making process, much of what you do minute by minute is controlled by your unconscious.

Without it, we would be overwhelmed to such an extent that we’d be rendered utterly impotent and immobile.

So it’s well worth thanking this force that sits in the background enabling you focus on the more important things.