Today’s message is to be thankful every day for everything
that you have, but I want to expand on that. We live in a society of
“keeping up with the Jones’”, always wanting what everyone else has and doing
whatever it takes to get the newest gadget on the market. We are always
striving for the very best and not settling for anything less. Most of
the time, this “want” comes at a price. I am certainly guilty of this
behavior myself. The wanting is never ending and sometimes things always
seem out of reach and it feels as though we will never get what we want.
Let’s face it. This isn’t something that you haven’t heard before.
I am not reinventing the wheel, but sometimes, we need reminders.
When we spend so much time wanting and working and striving,
we forget to actually live life to the fullest. We forget to be grateful
for what we DO have in life. We rush to work and we forget to appreciate
the landscape along the way, or we don’t stop to smell the flowers on our path.
We don’t spend time with our loved ones because we are too busy for them.
We end up alienating our loved ones and live such a small existence that it
really can’t be considered living.
Don’t get me wrong, dreams are vital and it’s important to
have goals and know what we want and to go after it. However, if we are
demeaning ourselves and our family in the process, is it really worth it?
What’s going to happen if we strive for everything we want but we have no one
to share it with because we never had time for them?
When we learn to appreciate what we have, when we are truly
grateful for our lives, more wonderful things, and people, find their way to
us. On the flip side, if we are always wanting, there is always something
that we will be striving for. It’s a never ending cycle. The right
attitude is essential for getting what we want. The more grateful we are,
the more we will receive without even trying. Take time with your family
and friends, take a moment to appreciate the wildlife or landscape around you, smile
at a stranger, remain calm and be forgiving if someone cuts you off in
traffic, find something each and every day to be thankful for, and the rewards
will be endless. Try it. I dare you.
