Live Gratitude

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant,
to enact gratitude is generous and noble,
but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven [Johannes A. Gaertner].

Beyond the occasional thank-you note you manage to get in the mail, or the quick, “Thanks!” you utter, are you truly living a life of gratitude?

Running around. Living our lives at an exhausting pace.

Too hectic. Too much. Too little time.

We’re so busy looking for that and building this and trying to squeeze ourselves into the next 60 minutes.

It’s no wonder we scarcely notice the kindness from a stranger, acknowledge the generosity of a friend, or remember the thoughtfulness of a family member as we rush to and fro, trying to meet expectations and deadlines and self-imposed ideals.

Our lives are so busy we need a reminder to be thankful. We have to schedule our gratitude. Fortunately, we have a day set aside just for this purpose. An exit ramp, if you will, from the rat race to a thankful place.

A mandated respite to cherish kindness, honor sacrifices, recall our blessings.

After the traveling and meal preparations and dinner table discussions. When the dishes are cleared away and the left-overs are put away. Let’s not forget that tomorrow is really about pausing to remember, reflect, and reach out.

It’s our opportunity to acknowledge the kindness and generosity, the courage and sacrifice of others. To sincerely appreciate our blessings.

But we need not wait for one day on the calendar to be grateful. We should strive to live a life marked by thanksgiving.

Make it a habit to tell people thank you.

To express your appreciation
sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return.

Truly appreciate those around you,
and you’ll soon find many others around you.

Truly appreciate life,
and you’ll find you have more of it.

~ Ralph Marston

Commit to living a life of gratitude every day. “Take nothing for granted. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude” [Albert Schweitzer].

Whatever you are, be a good one!

Deanna

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Along Came A Spider

The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your own riches, but to reveal to him his own” [Benjamin Disraeli].

When I was in third grade, my teacher, Mrs. Belaney, read Charlotte’s Web to the class, one chapter each day after recess. It was the first time I had heard the story by author E. B. White, and I was enthralled by the adventure of a pig named Wilbur who is befriended by an intelligent grey spider named Charlotte.

Charlotte writes messages in her web praising Wilbur (such as “Some Pig”) in order to persuade the farmer to let him live. Throughout the book, Charlotte encourages, celebrates, shares advice, and patiently teaches. Along the way, Wilbur discovers his potential because of Charlotte’s actions. It is a heartwarming story illustrating the important role of a mentor — “someone whose hindsight can become your foresight” [unknown].

I have a friend who has not only benefited from mentors throughout her life, she gladly serves as a mentor for others. She is one of those “successful individuals who turn everyone who can help them into sometime mentors” [John Crosby].

I often tease her that she “collects people.” In reality, she is one of the best networkers I know. She enjoys meeting people and encouraging their personal development; she is diligent about finding ways to let people shine — often connecting them with others in her network.

She doesn’t believe that being a mentor needs to be complicated or burdensome. It’s simply about being available, listening to the problem, understanding the circumstances, or helping craft a solution. Sometimes, all a person needs is a push in the right direction.

As a teenager Jean Nidetch, founder of Weight Watchers, regularly walked through the park and watched mothers chatting while their toddlers sat on swings with no one to push them. “I’d give them a push, and you know what happens when you push a kid on a swing? Pretty soon he’s pumping, doing, it himself. That’s what my role in life is — I’m there to give others a push” [Glenn Van Ekeren.]

How about you? What’s your role in life? Each of us have skills, knowledge, contacts, and encouragement that can be used to help others. Maybe it’s time to start using your resources to push others toward their destiny.

“Even if it’s a little thing, do something for those who have need of help, something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it” [Albert Schweitzer].

As Wilbur was enthusiastically praising Charlotte for the “miracle webs” she had created to to save his life, she responded: “No, my webs were no miracle, Wilbur. I was only describing what I saw. The miracle is you.”

Like all good mentors, Charlotte simply held up a mirror so Wilbur could see his own potential. We would all be so lucky to have such a person in our lives — or to have the opportunity to serve as that person for another.

“Give what you have. To someone else it may be better than you dare to think” [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow].

Whatever you are, be a good one!

Deanna

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Don’t Forget to Change the World

On the refrigerator in my kitchen is a small erasable white board which I can see each time I enter the kitchen. The board serves as my personal message center with rotating phrases I find motivational and inspiring. Lately, I have found myself heading to the kitchen (translation: refrigerator) more often than I care to acknowledge, so I feel the placement is perfection.

A few weeks ago, I had posted the saying “Don’t forget to change the world.” Change the world – this is a serious commitment. If you were going to change the world, what issues would you tackle? To be sure, there are many areas that desperately need our attention: global warming, poverty, civil war, racism, economic instability, gang violence, illegal drug use, unemployment, crime, broken families, and the list goes on and on and on.

I realize that committing to changing the world is an enormous undertaking that we tend to shy away from. Maybe we are too distracted living our own lives, or the idea is simply too large for us to wrap our arms around – so we sit back and wait for the well-known humanitarian organization, movie star, or billionaire to step up and make a difference. History records many individuals who have accepted the challenge and performed noble exploits to effect change including Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and Albert Schweitzer. However, instead of following their lead, we often ridicule our own best efforts, wondering how we could even begin to accomplish anything worthwhile?

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are” (Malcolm Forbes).

What if I said that within you, right this minute, resides all the power you need to change the world! Could you believe it? Making the planet a better place is not about giving fancy speeches at international conventions, organizing demonstrations in Washington, or hosting multi-million dollar fund raisers. No, it’s much simpler than all of that.

An old man walked up a shore littered with thousands of starfish, beached and dying after a storm. A young man was picking them up and flinging them back into the ocean. “Why do you bother?” the old man scoffed. “You’re not saving enough to make a difference.” The young man picked up another starfish and sent it spinning back into the water. “Made a difference to that one,” he said (Baudville.com).

Are you ready to use your power for good? You can change the world by changing yourself and your attitude, and buying into the fact that the power to influence is within you. Look for opportunities to change the world of your neighbor, a colleague, your spouse, the mailman, the waitress serving your lunch, or the bagger at the grocery store. When you shift the focus off of you and your situation, and begin investing in others, you are changing the world – one person, one day, one encouraging comment at a time.

See? Changing the world really isn’t the difficult. Stop looking in the mirror and look out the window. Change yourself – change the world!

“You must behave as if your everyday act, even the smallest, impacts a thousand people for a hundred generations. Because it does. (H. Mueller)

Whatever you are, be a good one!

Deanna

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