You're bored? What a blessing.

The Soren Kierkegaard of Sticky Notes

A single sticky note is plastered at the bottom of my computer monitor:

“We are afforded opportunities, experiences and lifestyles that most only dream about.”

Life is a miracle.

I forget that often.

The concept of gratitude has carved out a prominent position in the current cultural climate. As depression rates rise, a common suggestion is to start a gratitude practice.

• “Spend a few minutes each night counting your blessings.”

• “Write down three things a day you’re thankful for.”

• “Make note of the simple joys.”

Thousands of think pieces have been written about the negatives of social media. In short, it makes the miracle of everyday life feel like a curse of monotony.

If you’re on Instagram, every day is a hail of arrows tipped with life’s too-good-to-be-true high points. Greek vacations. Six-course five-star meals. Airbnbs with infinity pools.

With social media, the common refrain is that comparison is the thief of joy.

But I’d like to propose another thought.

Comfort is the thief of wonder.

At the risk of sounding assumptive, if you’re reading this post, you’re probably fortunate. You have an internet connection, you’re driven enough to read content that can better your life, you have a few options for dinner tonight.

To you (and to me), those things don’t merit celebration.

But for 99% of people ever to exist on this planet, those are fantasies.

• Most U.S. homes didn’t have running water until the mid-1800s.

• In 1900, the global average life expectancy was about 31 years.

• Heck, France used the guillotine until 1977 (not kidding, look it up).

Your monotony is most of humanity’s wildest dreams.

Anyone who has immersed themselves in entrepreneurial circles has heard this phrase:

“Boredom is a privilege.”

If you hit the point in your business where the income is flowing, surprises are rare and Monday feels like Monday again, you’ve made it.

In life, it’s the same.

If you’ve hit the point where you know where you’re sleeping at night, where you can complain about shower water that’s too hot and where you’re stressing over whether or not to take that new job, you’ve made it.

It’s too easy to forget that.

Life isn’t a picnic. Nor is it fair. Nor is it exempt from hassles, heartbreaks and hard times.

But for you and me, it is a miracle.

Comfort is a wonder. Monotony is a blessing. Boredom is a privilege.

That sticky note, a good soldier, has been stuck to my computer monitor for four years. It’s down to its last bit of adhesive.

Sometimes it falls off. Every time, I stick it back on.

Because it’s easy to forget — but it’s critical to remember — we are afforded opportunities, experiences and lifestyles that most only dream about.