Some moments can split our life into a clear before-and-after. For my friend Brian Pennie, it was cutting himself off cold turkey from his heroin addiction of almost 20 years. Everything that has happened since? He considers it bonus time.
I don’t have a distinct before-and-after for when I started appreciating my life more consciously, but I do know that, since maybe around 2012, I’ve also been on bonus time. That was the year I started my gratitude journal, the year I began actively working on my habits, and the year I decided to forge my own career path without worrying so much what other people might think.
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy or value my experiences beforehand. I had a wonderful, no doubt privileged childhood. But this was the start of a more deliberate journey through life. After that, every year was the best year of my life. It still is to this day. And though there’s far more I wish to do and see, if I were to die tomorrow, there’d still be more than enough to be grateful for. More than enough living I’ve already done.
There’ll always be times when it’s hard to activate your gratitude filter. When life has you down, and the best you can do is go on. But think about it. Really think about it. Isn’t there already an infinite number of thoughts, emotions, people, and moments in your past which deserve your thanks? Start a list in your head. Wouldn’t it just keep going?
Perhaps you, too, are already on bonus time—and recognizing that, even without knowing exactly when it started, might be one of your most important discoveries.
