What is Gratefulness?
(It's that Time of Year)
Wow, that's a tough question for me! Intellectually, I know I'm the most fortunate person to ever walk the face of the earth and some days, I don't "feel" grateful. What would cause that?
My first thought is I allow world news, negative thoughts and fears get in my way. Also, many days I'm not mindful/present and live in the past or somewhere in the future. When I'm not present, it's hard to notice what I have all around me...relationships, material things, opportunities, health and many other things!
So, what is the answer? I saw this quote a few days ago and it woke me up:
What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner...Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
That's me! On some level, I've missed this almost perfect life.
A few days ago, one of my Vistage Groups took an hour and wrote "Thank You" notes to anybody they wanted. What an exercise. I noticed that I and others wrote notes to people they previously hadn't intended to. The more I wrote, the more I realized I wanted to write!
I discovered that when I showed gratefulness, I "felt" gratefulness!
What about you?
What's your definition of Gratefulness?
How often do you "feel" and "show" Gratefulness?
Maybe "feeling gratefulness" is a big enough WHY to show gratefulness!
