Knowing How to Receive and Value What Life Brings

Life in general and the people around you have a lot to offer. However, you need to know how to receive these things. Don't let pride or ungratefulness stop you from enjoying them. Here are some hints that'll help you learn how to receive. Because knowing how to receive is as important as knowing how to give.
Knowing How to Receive and Value What Life Brings

Last update: 23 February, 2021

Every relationship exists in a world of its own. A world with its own rules. Furthermore, every relationship has something to offer you, sometimes good and sometimes bad. However, what’s important is knowing how to receive what these relationships are offering you. Furthermore, where possible, you should nurture them so they work in your favor.

To achieve this, you need to know how to receive. This way, you’ll enjoy your relationships with others and have a happier life.

It isn’t a question of being given something and then feeling obliged to give something in return. In fact, it’s simply  knowing how to value and accept with love whatever it is you’ve been given. Because, whilst giving is a sign of generosity, the art of receiving can be just as generous.

Knowing how to receive isn’t something you generally tend to think about. However, it’s really important to show appreciation for what you’ve been given. For this reason, we should take a closer look at the art of receiving. The keys to achieving this are understanding, openness, and appreciation.

Knowing how to receive is accepting with love what life brings you and to value every little detail.

A red heart in someone's hands.

Understanding and knowing how to receive

Understanding is essential to the art of receiving. You need to understand what receiving’s all about and what it means. Firstly, ask yourself why or for what reason it is that certain things seem to come your way. Then, if it’s a bad thing, you can learn from it and move on. On the other hand, if it’s a good thing, you can accept that you deserve it, thus reinforcing your self-esteem.

It’s probably true that all too often you put on a kind of armor, barricading yourself against any kind of affection you might be given. In fact, sometimes, you might not think you even deserve such displays of affection. Consequently, you find it difficult to freely receive it in an open manner.

However, what you probably aren’t aware of is that, when you deny yourself the possibility of receiving, you’re conveying the wrong message to others. Because they might think you don’t want what they’re offering you, thus devaluing all their efforts.

You need to understand that the presence of others is vital for you. Furthermore, the fact that they sometimes give you a helping hand is invaluable. Therefore, knowing how to receive means you’ll accept help when you need it.

However, to completely understand giving and receiving, you’ll need to delve deeper within yourself. In other words, you’ll need to really get to know yourself. Because the more you know yourself, the easier it’ll become to understand why you sometimes find it so difficult to receive and why others sometimes treat you with contempt.

Therefore, through self-knowledge, you’ll gain greater control over your thoughts, feelings,  and behaviors. Hence, you’ll be helped in your journey towards the powerful art of knowing how to receive.

Openness

Openness is another key to knowing how to receive. It means being completely willing, without having to force yourself, to accept what life brings you. Because if you aren’t open, you can’t make room for anyone or anything else in your life. This means you close yourself off from the world and aren’t willing to accept what others can give you or what life can bring you.

However, being open doesn’t mean you have to accept absolutely everything. It’s more about having limits, and not closing yourself off to anything and everything that comes your way.

Openness means putting pessimism aside and exploring new paths. Indeed, if you’re more positive and accepting of what life has to offer, you’ll be better prepared to receive what comes your way without being hurt in the process.

Appreciation

Appreciation is another factor in knowing how to receive. It’s about gratefully recognizing what life brings you and what others do for you. You’ll realize that, whatever it is that comes your way in life, it’ll either teach you how to overcome obstacles or give you a cause to celebrate.

Appreciation also means learning to receive with humility. To find satisfaction in what you have and what others give you. You just have to look around you to do this. Because often, when you might think you have nothing, you actually have a lot. All that’s happened is you’ve stopped appreciating it.

Furthermore, you need to remember that, whilst it’s easy to give thanks when everything’s going well, you should also give thanks when things aren’t so good. In fact, it’s in these situations that you learn from the decisions you’ve made.

A woman with hands clasped.

Set pride aside: another key to knowing how to receive

Put your pride aside. That’s another key to knowing how to receive. Because pride actually stops you from having this ability. To remedy this, you need to remember that you’re not the center of the universe and at times you need others.

You’re not all-powerful. You make mistakes. Others make mistakes too. Indeed, it’s normal to feel unhappy when someone lets you down. However, you can give them another chance in the same way that you’d expect them to do for you.

Pride’s a defense mechanism that keeps you away from others. It’s born of the fear of recognizing your own mistakes. In addition, being proud and seeking perfection causes stress. In fact, a study by the National Autonomous University of Mexico demonstrated that this type of stress damages your health.

You need to stop pride from being an obstacle and be thankful. In fact, if you’re able to show understanding, you’re more likely to understand the meaning of everything that comes your way in your life. Consequently, you’ll learn to receive in a better way and you’ll be fully prepared for whatever might come your way.

As you can see, knowing how to receive makes you more human. This is because you recognize and value the act of giving by others. Therefore, you should always try and be attentive to the people around you. Because observing them carefully will help you to truly value what you have. In addition, you’ll be able to receive whatever comes your way in the best possible manner.

The world is full of small joys, knowing how to receive them is an art.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Amador, P. (2009). Autocoaching, cómo conseguir lo mejor de uno mismo. Buenos Aires: Ed. Gran Aldea Editores.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.