What does it mean when people tell you not to take things for granted?

Question

What does it mean to you?

Answer 1

what a good question! granted means to give so if i "granted" you something you would presumably take it and go about your day. so if you take your health for granted, this means you assume your health is simply something you have and does not need to be cared for or otherwise considered. if your boyfriend/girlfriend/ husband/wife/partner loves you and you take it for granted, it means you assume they will always love you and you need not otherwise work at it. in a nutshell, it means you should recognize your blessings (good health, love of family and friends, your talents etc) and not realize you are blessed (lucky?) to have these things and be grateful.......some people will not have the blessing you have. don't assume these things are simply given.......realize these things are blessings.

Answer 2

It means one should observe, and value, what we have in life. Most people don't. They pine for a flasher car, or a better TV, and "take for granted" the physical attributes that make it possible to drive the car, or the sight that lets them see TV, and everything else. People grizzle about the weather, without valuing the day of life. And while we ignore or "take for granted" such basics of life, we're driven to more dangerous, costly, and often stupid ways of "getting our kicks". You can think it onwards from here.

Answer 3

Earth has been around for milllions of years. If you live to be 81, you will have lived 709,560 hours. ( yes, hours ) If you take your health for granted, you may only make it 50 years, or 438,000 hours.

If you take family or friends for granted, you may only take and not give. It's like a bank account, withdrawals and deposits. To many withdrawals and no deposits can leave you friendless.

Answer 4

Well lets take someone you love, like your bf for example. Lets say you see him everyday and thats how it has been done for the last year. You get to expect him to be there and it becomes no big deal to see him. Then he suddenly is killed in a car accident. You find the next day that he is not there waiting for and you relize just how much you miss him. Those days of meeting one another had become routine, but now he is not there and you wish you had paid more attention to the little things and appreciated him more.

Little things, like a hug, become almost routine, you know they are going to happen, and then they are gone and you miss them and relize just how much you loved them.

Answer 5

It means that you need to be appreciative of the things you have. Realize that what you have may not always be there, that someone worked hard for you to have those things, and that there are many people who are not as fortunate as you.

Answer 6

"take it for granted (that)..." is an idiom. So from your question, it means you don't have to believe the things are true without first making sure that they are.

Answer 7

When things are going good for you in certain areas of your life, you should appreciate it. Don't assume it will always be there because at any given moment you may lose it all in the blink of any eye.

Answer 8

It means to appreciate the things you have or the people in your life who love you and do things for you, because when someone is not appreciated, it's possible that someday they will not be there for you. Don't just assume that things will be done for you.

Answer 9

BASICALLY THIS MEANS APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE BECAUSE YOU DONT REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.LIKE ALOT OF HEALTHY PEOPLE TAKE THEIR HEALTH FOR GRANTED UNTIL THEY GET SICK . BE THANKFUL EVERYDAY FOR WHAT YOU DO HAVE BECAUSE THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES IN LIFE.

Answer 10

It means we should appreciate what we have and be thankful, because just as fast as things or people come into our lives and enrich us, they can just as quickly be gone.