Financial blogger Mr. Money Mustache recently posted on the Greek and Roman philosophy of Stoicism. His view of the core of Stoic philosophy is thus: "to have a good and meaningful life, you need to overcome your insatiability". One of the techniques stoics use to accomplish this is negative visualization, which helps you want the things you already have by contemplating life without the good things you already possess such as loved ones, good health, or a home.
In the book A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy the author describes the technique thusly:
[The Stoics] recommended that we spend time imagining that we have lost the things we value—that our wife has left us, our car was stolen, or we lost our job. Doing this, the Stoics thought, will make us value our wife, our car, and our job more than we otherwise would. This technique—let us refer to it as
negative visualization
was employed by the Stoics at least as far back as Chrysippus. It is, I think, the single most valuable technique in the Stoics' psychological tool kit.
Seneca describes the negative visualization technique in the consolation he wrote to Marcia, a woman who, three years after the death of her son, was as grief-stricken as on the day she buried him. In this consolation, besides telling Marcia how to overcome her current grief, Seneca offers advice on how she can avoid falling victim to such grief in the future: What she needs to do is anticipate the events that can cause her to grieve. In particular, he says, she should remember that all we have is "on loan" from Fortune, which can reclaim it without our permission—indeed, without even advance notice. Thus, "we should love all our dear ones . . ., but always with the thought that we have no promise that we may keep them forever—nay, no promise even that we may keep them for long." . . .
To see how imagining the death of a child can make us appreciate her, consider two fathers. The first takes [this] advice to heart and periodically reflects on his child's mortality. The second refuses to entertain such gloomy thoughts. He instead assumes that his child will outlive him and that she will always be around for him to enjoy. The first father will almost certainly be more attentive and loving than the second. When he sees his daughter first thing in the morning, he will be glad that she is still a part of his life, and during the day he will take full advantage of opportunities to interact with her. The second father, in contrast, will be unlikely to experience a rush of delight on encountering his child in the morning. Indeed, he might not even look up from the newspaper to acknowledge her presence in the room.
Similar approaches could be taken by contemplating what life would be like if we were physically or mentally handicapped, lost our jobs, etc. You certainly don't want to spend all your time thinking about negative possibilities, but a few minutes each day or a few times a week will help to make you happy for what you gifts you actually have in life.
What is Stoicism and How Can it Turn your Life to Solid Gold | Mr. Money Mustache
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy | Amazon