“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” — Robert Brault
The surest index of your spiritual and emotional well-being is the degree of gratitude in your life. As we prepare for Thanksgiving next week, I thought what a better way than to keep our focus on gratitude this week.
There is absolutely no doubt as I look at my circle of influence, one of the most common traits I see amongst my core circle, is they all express gratitude as a common trait. The most grateful people I know linger over life’s blessings. We can’t be grateful without being mindful of the many benefits we enjoy in life and conscious of the rich blessings we have been given. The most grateful people take time to rejoice, which literally means to experience repeated joy through the remembrance of the grace and goodness one has received.
My encouragement for you these next few weeks is to NOT think about all of the craziness going on in the world and just focus on your blessings. There isn’t an emotion we can eradicate for the feeling most people are experiencing today. And since that fear is LITERALLY everywhere around us, it’s impossible to eliminate it. The key is not to repress it but to cultivate and express positive emotions that outweigh it. To the extent we allow faith, hope, and love into our hearts, to overwhelm “culture” and it’s discouraging influence!
Remember this… It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well. But gratitude can have an even bigger impact if you’re experiencing calamity in your life. So when you encounter challenges, see if you can find the silver lining. What did you learn from what happened? What opportunity did it open up for you? Even life’s hardships offer lessons learned. Share these insights with your Team and of course with your core circle of friends. Being able to be truly grateful during times of challenge and change is a great way to stop spirals of turmoil and stress!
What are you most grateful for in your life today?