As a kid, my dad always talked a lot about “gratitude” and how he watched it single-handedly help change people’s lives, not only from an improved psychological perspective but also helped to promote improved health and wellness. Let’s just say my dad is a true “half-full” type of guy.
My dad also likes to identify people as being either “givers” or takers”. He identifies givers as being big proponents of “gratitude,” which ultimately fuels their desire to seek out ways to be helpful and give to others. On the other hand, takers, show very little signs of regularly thinking about “gratitude”, instead donating more time trying to find ways to gain an edge or reasons to complain about not getting their fair share. In other words, takers tend to believe they have been somewhat slighted in life and are somehow owed something. They act as if their boat has never come in, they tend to think they are unlucky, they view almost everything as an obstacle rather than an opportunity.
Bottom-line, as I get older I’m learning to think more about all of those lessons mom and dad tried to teach us through the years about helping others and being thankful for what we have rather than being focused on what we don’t. Perhaps regularly practicing “gratitude” and working to become more of a “giver” than a “taker” is one of the best lessons we learned. The universal law of attraction says that we will attract into our life the things we think about and focus on. This Thanksgiving week I challenge everyone to think about “gratitude” and all the sacrifices that have been made by those who have come before.
