Appreciate what you have and be less concerned about what you don't have

I often recollect about the times in my life when I felt like I had it bad or that my the experience I was going through was the worst thing that could possibly happen to me. The idea that there is no hope and that the life we are living has too many constraints for us to avoid failure is untrue. I realize that as long a you have options life and your "bad experience" isn't really that bad at all. Sure, we have all heard that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But, what I am talking about is the ability to open your eyes, walk, smell and make conscious decisions. The ability to say I will or I won't. It sounds so simple but comes at bit of a cost. The cost is in fact self realization to "make yourself". In many instances we are the cause of our own sadness. I have been guilty of boxing myself in and when things don't fit into that box I get sad. I wouldn't try different methods based on being scared of the unknown. So in a sense I was my own prisoner. Have you taken your options away? Have you not looked at all the vast and great things that encompasses who you are and put too much attention on what you do not have? If so, this is deleting your options.