{"id":5334,"date":"2011-02-05T11:32:29","date_gmt":"2011-02-05T19:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=5334"},"modified":"2013-10-01T08:34:36","modified_gmt":"2013-10-01T16:34:36","slug":"5-things-that-were-given-to-me-for-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-things-that-were-given-to-me-for-nothing\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things That Were Given to Me for Nothing"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

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Over the last year I have read lots of material on self-improvement and success. One common theme I found in almost everything I read was an emphasis on gratitude. In an effort to increase gratitude in my life, I have listed the top 5 things that have been given to me for nothing:<\/p>\n

1. My Car<\/h4>\n

When my Gramma bought a new car, she sold her 1997 Ford Tauras to me for $1. A white Tauras isn’t exactly the coolest car on the block, but I have driven it for 7 years with minimal maintenance costs. After 14 years and 100,000+ miles, it still gets me where I need to go.<\/p>\n

2. My Education<\/h4>\n

I was fortunate enough to have great parents who decided at a young age to save money for my education. I graduated from Purdue University in 2009 with no student loans and $0 paid by me towards my tuition. They also paid my rent all four years. The only thing I had to do was graduate on time. I know that most people don’t get an amazing deal like this and for that I am grateful.<\/p>\n

3. My Computer<\/h4>\n

When I graduated from High School in 2005, my parents threw a graduation party for me. I netted about $2,000 in cash gifts and used it to buy a brand new laptop.<\/p>\n

In 2008, the laptop was stolen when our house was robbed. Good thing my parents had home owners insurance. The laptop was covered for $1200 which I used to buy a new computer that I still use to this very day.<\/p>\n

4. My Job<\/h4>\n

After three years of studying Food Process Engineering at Purdue, I realized that a 9-5 job at one of the big food companies wasn’t the life for me. I spent the last year of college building websites for my own personal profit and in the process learned a lot about web development.<\/p>\n

After I graduated, I made one call to a cousin who owned a web development company. He gave me an opportunity to work on a project which eventually led to a full time gig.<\/p>\n

I put this on my list because my cousin had no reason to hire me. I had no degree and no professional experience, but he took a chance and gave me an opportunity.<\/p>\n

5. My Websites<\/h4>\n

I own and operate several blogs in my spare time. I build my sites on either WordPress or Drupal. Both of these website platforms are open source projects that are completely free to use.<\/p>\n

In the web development world, it is so easy to take for granted all of the free information, scripts, programs, and platforms that are available. The cost to develop a blog platform similar to WordPress or Drupal would be in the thousands, not to mention all of the free modules and add-ons.<\/p>\n

The WordPress and Drupal communities have created a product that allows me to set up a new blog in minutes for free.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h4>\n

It was so easy for me to think of these 5 things because I truly feel like I did nothing to get them.<\/p>\n

After I became aware of the obvious things, I couldn’t help but think of all the not so obvious things I am given on a daily basis. Things like clean water, refrigeration, internet access, and air conditioning. I pay for all of these things, but I had nothing to do with the invention or discovery of these daily amenities. They simply happened and now I am here to benefit.<\/p>\n

It doesn’t stop there though. After I became aware of the more subtle things I am given, I took the next inevitable step. I became thankful for my existence. I don’t know how I ended up in this world, but I wake up everyday grateful for the opportunity to experience life.<\/p>\n

Waking up every day with gratitude for being alive is like starting the day with a built-in advantage. It doesn’t matter what happens the rest of the day because it is all extra. This might sound like a recipe for complacency, but it’s actually the opposite. Being grateful for what I have not only drives me to want more, it creates a flow of abundance into my life that will provide for my deepest desires.<\/p>\n

Start a flow of abundance in your life! Leave your list of 5 things you are grateful for in the comments section below.<\/strong><\/p>\n

David DiGiovanni is a freelance blogger and the founder of Let Go And Flow<\/a> – a self help blog based on the writings of Deepak Chopra.\u00a0 Follow him on Twitter @ <\/em>http:\/\/twitter.com\/daviddigiovanni<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter! <\/a><\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/p>\n

101 Online Self Improvement Resources <\/a><\/p>\n

The Little Book of Productivity <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After I became aware of the more subtle things I am given, I took the next inevitable step. I became thankful for my existence. I don’t know how I ended up in this world, but I wake up everyday grateful for the opportunity to experience life. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":13061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[433,1167,66,4629,1166],"yoast_head":"\n5 Things That Were Given to Me for Nothing - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Over the last year I have read lots of material on self-improvement and success. One common theme I found in almost everything I read was an emphasis on gratitude. 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