The Hidden Power of Gratitude
Years ago, I coached a man who’d built a thriving 30-person organization. Business was booming, but the weight of managing it all crushed him. He felt trapped, constantly “cleaning up messes” until annoyance overshadowed his once-prized success. Blessed with a gem, he saw only irritation. He walked away.
The gentleman that took over that business? He saw opportunity where the first saw burden. That business has since tripled, flourishing under a fresh perspective. The difference wasn’t the company, it was the lens. Gratitude could’ve turned stress into strength, but self-focus warped a gift into a grudge.
Gratitude really steers your heart and mind in a direction that keeps both healthy. It's like a shield that protects you from letting your mind go places it shouldn't. Having an attitude of gratitude ends where your sense of entitlement begins. It's the simple practice of taking your eyes off of yourself and what you don't have, focusing on others and what you do have, that makes all the difference.
So what is it? What is the thing that you don't have? You find yourself spending all day and night thinking of "that thing" which has kept you unhappy in it's absence. My guess is, "that thing" is rooted in self benefit. While it feels like a need, it's really a self serving want. It steals your joy and makes you miserable. While it's healthy to work towards more, it can be detrimental to your mind and heart if it becomes all consuming. Instead of focusing on what you don't have, the practice of being thankful for what you do have brings life, energy, and peace.
You have to be okay with the ambiguity of growth. It’s easy to let one thing consume your mind, but in truth, there are so many other things to be thankful for. You may spend day and night focused on the dollar bill and think you haven’t hit the goal, landed the job, or earned the promotion you’ve been working hard for. Slow down, look around, and recognize the amazing family you have and how much they love and support you.
Maybe you’ve been searching for a spouse forever and feel like it’s never going to happen. Take a deep breath. Maybe this season of singleness is giving you time to grow into the person you need to be, to travel freely, or to build something meaningful without compromise.
Or maybe you’ve been grinding at the gym, pushing your limits, but the mirror still doesn’t reflect what you expected by now. Step back. Your body is stronger than it was six months ago, you have the ability to move, to lift, to show up every day, something many people wish they could do. Above all you're healthier! Growth is happening, even when it doesn’t look the way you imagined.
Gratitude is your friend. It brings logic back into the equation and harnesses your emotion for healthy thoughts verses self-destructive ones. Life has a way of dragging your mind in the wrong direction. It's easy to find yourself in a situation that doesn't seem "fair". I don't really use the word fair (that's a whole other newsletter in its self) but I know life can feel that way. I have this rule....that I never yell out the phrase "Give me a break!" because I feel it's an insult to God. He's given me far more "breaks" than I deserve. Complaining is a symptom of someone who lacks gratitude.
Complaining is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere. Do your best to learn to bite your tongue. There are times in my life where I've been told that I complain too much. It didn't feel that great to be told that, and it shined a light on the fact that all complaining does is make people around you.....not want to be around.
So focus on thankfulness. It will set you apart, bring you peace, and open your eyes to the good surrounding you. Gratitude doesn’t mean you stop striving, but it keeps you from striving at the expense of your joy. It shifts your mindset from scarcity to abundance, from frustration to fulfillment.
Life will always present challenges, unmet expectations, and things may feel out of reach. But instead of letting what you lack consume you, let what you have sustain you. Choose gratitude, not just as a fleeting emotion, but as a discipline, a practice, a way of life. Because in the end, it’s not having more that makes you rich, but appreciating what’s already yours.
Today's Forced Challenge: I want you to FORCE yourself to be thankful by choosing one or a couple of these challenges:
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No Complaint- Challenge yourself to not complain for 7 days. If you catch yourself, immediately steer your focus towards something you're thankful for.
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Gratitude Journal- Take 5 minutes every morning and force yourself to write down 5 things you're thankful for. It takes no time at all and it reframes your mind to start your day.
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Gratitude letters - Choose one person a week to write a letter to about how thankful you are for them. It will not only help you but will be a blessing to them as well. You can send a text even, but I think a written letter will have a greater effect.
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"One Less"- Give up one thing you take for granted for a week (hot showers, coffee, your car, social media). When you bring it back, you’ll appreciate it more.
Life is so much more enjoyable when you focus on what you've been given, not on what you don't have.
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” — Robert Brault