We spend too much time looking at those much wealthier than ourselves and telling ourselves what a miserable life we have. We should spend more time looking at those worse off than us and telling ourselves how lucky we are.
If you can afford to buy alcohol and spend on a game console, you have something to be very grateful for. There are people in the World who can barely conceive of having that much spare cash.
Yesterday I was grocery shopping and as I walked through the mall, I saw Costa and decided on whim to get a coffee. I didn't want a cake or anything, but as I sat there with my coffee it occurred to me I hadn't even considered the cost. I have enough money to get a cup of coffee from a coffee shop and a cake if I want and not worry. There have been times in my life when thinking about a coffee break meant agonising over the financial implications and realising I couldn't afford. It's a very small and inconsequential thing, but I sat in Costa yesterday feeling rather pleased with my life.
I have been poor enough to struggle. I have never been so poor I couldn't eat or have a warm place to sleep, so even then I was rather lucky really. I've gone hungry and slept outside either because I made poor lifestyle decisions, often involving large amounts of alcohol or because I was outside miles and miles from civilisation.