JUST ONE THING
Transform Tomorrow with Gratitude
Episode 142
With Rick White, 180BIZ
I love this time of year, and it's not just the Christmas season, but it's also the end of the year. It's one of those milestones where people tend to reflect. I want to talk to you about one danger and 3 Gs when it comes to the end of the year.
Your past is not there to define you. It's there to refine you.
The danger I want you to be aware of and stay away from is allowing all the crap that you went through this year to follow you into the next year. Let's face it, at different times, we all go through crap. But your past is not there to define you. It's there to refine you. These are lessons and nothing
more.
So, something didn't go your way. That sucks. Learn from it. You had some tough times. Learn from it. What do you learn? Maybe it's resilience. Maybe it's persistence. Maybe it's determination. Maybe it's clarity. Maybe it's a sense of purpose. Step back and learn from everything. Learn from every setback. Learn that every challenge you went through was there to help propel you. They're not stumbling blocks, they are stepping stones. Do not allow the past to define your future.
So now let's talk about the three G’s.
Grateful is the most powerful human emotion we can have.
1. The first G stands for GRATEFUL. It’s the most powerful human emotion I think we can have. Why? Because whatever we focus on, we get more of. And if you are going through your life in fear and doubt, you're going to get more of that. But when you can step back and look at what you're grateful for, that makes all the difference in the world.
That was huge for me. When Brenda and I went to Uganda, we found that they were the poorest people that I've ever seen financially. But, they were filled with joy and genuine happiness. These people were walking three to four miles just to get water every day. They were living in a single-room dwelling with a dirt floor, and no running water. They had to cook on an open fire outside. But they were the happiest people I have ever seen.
We're focused on what we don't have. We're focused on lack. We're focused on someone else being better than us. It eats us up on the inside. It also gets us chasing stuff that, in my opinion, doesn't matter. So you get a new car, and yeah, you feel a little better for a while, but now you have more obligations. I believe the things that we're chasing a lot of times actually hurt us. They hurt our happiness and they hurt our joy.
The difference is the people in Uganda were grateful for what they had. And isn't that what we really need? When I stare at gratitude, I get more abundance. I don't know why it works that way, but it does. And I don't have to understand how a light switch works to get electricity. I can still use it. And that's what I want you to think about right now in this season of giving, in this season of reset.
We are happiest when we are contributing.
2. The second G is GIVING. And I don't mean money. How can you give someone your attention, your focus, your caring? How can you give someone your time? How do you make the world a better place? In all the studying and people-watching I’ve done, I found that we are happiest when we're growing, making progress, and when we're contributing. That's where happiness and joy truly live. So where is that for you?
Are you letting yesterday keep you from realizing your tomorrow?
3. And then the last G stands for GROWTH. Where are you growing? Where are you stuck? Where do you need to get better? Are you letting yesterday keep you from realizing your tomorrow? Take inventory of the stories you're telling yourself and the feelings that you're having.
Are you waking up in the morning with a smile and a heart filled with gratitude? Or are you waking up with a frown and a heart filled with bitterness and disillusionment? This is your choice. If you can get out of bed and walk on your legs, that's a big deal. Be grateful for it. If you have a bed, be grateful for it. If the room you were sleeping in was warm or cool, be grateful for it. If you had a roof over your head, be grateful for it. If you have someone next to you, be grateful for it. Now, use that to grow. Use that to make a difference. Use that to put a dent in the universe. Steve Jobs said that.
I want to make the world a better place one shop at a time. That is my crusade. So, what's it for you? The magic that you are looking for in your life is in the work you're avoiding. Think about that.
Take care. God bless. Bye-Bye.
