What You Can Learn about Gratitude From The Office Star, Rainn Wilson
This life that we are living is the only one we will experience. Time is always moving. There is no way to predict how our lives will unfold but that is a part of the magic.
It is easy to get stuck in rut and to wonder about the paths that you could have taken. There is no blueprint for life unfortunately.
There is no path that leads to guaranteed success. Roadblocks are ever present. Life is constantly finding new ways to test our resolve.
Do you really want what you say you want?
If after much drudgery to get it, is it what you hoped for?
I read an article about Rainn Wilson being mostly unhappy while filming The Office. He thought he should have been a movie star and that the show was actually holding him back from making millions of dollars.
Here is a guy making hundreds of thousands of dollars on a hit TV show but could not enjoy it because he felt could be accomplishing more.
Rainn Wilson talked about his discontentment on an episode of the podcast Club Random With Bill Maher.
He went on to explain his reasoning at the time: ‘When I was [on] The Office, I spent several years really mostly unhappy because it wasn’t enough.
‘I’m realizing now, like, I’m on a hit show, Emmy nominated every year, making lots of money, working with Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski and these amazing writers and incredible directors like Paul Feig. I’m on one of the great TV shows. People love it. I wasn’t enjoying it.’
Wilson said he was more focused on what he didn’t have versus what he did have. “The Office” aired for nine seasons and 201 episodes between 2005 and 2013
He said: ‘I was thinking about, “Why am I not a movie star? Why am I not the next Jack Black or the next Will Ferrell? How come I can’t have a movie career? Why don’t I have this development deal?”
‘I was making hundreds of thousands [but] I wanted millions. And I was a TV star, but I wanted to be a movie star. … It was never enough. Humans have lived for hundreds of thousands of years, and “never enough” has helped us as a species.’
How many of you can relate to that feeling of discontentment with your lot in life?
It is easy for any of us to get caught up in the possibility of what could be. In Rainn Wilson’s case, he did get the chance to headline a comedy movie (The Rocker) as a leading man however it was only moderately successful earning $8.8 million at the time.
Hearing Rainn Wilson’s story, made me examine times in my own life where I thought I deserved more than I had. Some goals I was able to achieve while others fell by the waist side.
It’s our lack of knowledge of those end goals that gnaw at our psyche. Sometimes the grass is not greener as we would have hoped.
Acknowledging the things we can be grateful for is a simple task. Practicing gratitude can have an immediate impact on your mental health and well-being.
Studies have shown that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.
Many experts agree that gratitude reduces depression and help you sleep better.
Gratitude is the heartfelt recognition and appreciation for the things, both tangible and intangible, that individuals receive in their lives.
Expressing gratitude verbally is a powerful way to acknowledge and show appreciation. Take the time to say “thank you” sincerely.
It only takes a moment but that small thanks could be the highlight of someone’s day and it costs you nothing.
Be thankful for the things that you do have and it is bound to have a positive effect in your life.
