Gratitude

-

 Gratitude

Extracts from "Creating Extraordinary Joy"

An attitude of gratitude speaks more about the character of the person than the act itself. Gratitude is a positive, uplifting and thankful view of life. It says we are happy to be here and that we are grateful for life's smallest blessings.

All too often, we are unable to feel gratitude, because we live in a world where gratitude and thankfulness are seen as weaker, softer elements which are not to be displayed. It is sad times we live in when we cannot realize how good we have it.

By comparison, the average American family has the best standard of living in the world. The majority of people have one or even two cars per household - wall to wall carpeting, chairs, tables and appliances, Mickey Mouse, laughing and snoring Elmo, Miss Piggy, Barbie and Ken, the latest Nintendo game and the Internet. For the big kids, burgers at 40 cents and ecoli bacteria for an extra dime. We have the fastest service in the world for just about everything. Microwaveable meals in three minutes or is it two - by the time you are through reading this it will be down to a minute.

The faster we get what we want, the more impatient we become. We want things now, instantly. We have developed an attitude of instant gratification. Quick fixes for everything. Quick food, quick haircuts, quick books to read, quick workouts, quick oil changes, quick relationships, the list goes on. Sadly, our impatience has led to an imbalance in our expectations of daily life. Expectations based on impatience have led to an attitude of irritation and frustration and in turn, a lack of gratitude and respect for the needs of other people and society as a whole.

The solution is not in the speed of life, but in the quality of life. Commerce and industry, relationships and life as a whole, are all affected by a self-centered, I want it now entitlement attitude.

Gratitude is about appreciating who we love and who loves us. Gratitude is not being subservient, but serving. Gratitude is living in the whole realm of contribution and service and creating a loving environment, which in essence is the whole experience of life.

Extracts from Chris Alexander's book,
"Creating Extraordinary Joy"
Available in bookstores everywhere or
contact Synergy Executive Education
directly for your own personalized copy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Show the way

-
 To lead means to walk out and show the way Extract from "Synergy Team Power The 5 Success Habits of High Performance Business Teams" There is a large difference between a manager and a leader. Many organizations know how to manage. It’s always been done this way. As a Manager, I tell you what to do. You either successfully complete the task or get fired.  The Leader is committed to guiding the Team which involves a great deal more than setting up schedules and assigning tasks. Only through the development of leaders-not managers-can a company develop into a high performance organization.  Workplace leadership is common in high-performance teams because each individual is a leader within their specialty, within their core competency. Good Leaders are confident in their area of expertise and direct accordingly. They allow individual Team members to use individual experiences to solve a problem while suggesting appropriate action. Again, the Team is not dictated to but insp...
Read more

Saving more lives on the Titanic!

-
 Decisions that could have saved more lives from the Titanic!  The Sampson was 7 miles away from the Titanic when they heard the distress call but because the crew had been hunting seals illegally and  didn't want to be caught, so they never responded to the Titanic’s SOS.  The captain and crew on this ship represents those who are so self-absorbed and deep in their need to satisfy their greed, that all rational and moral reasoning diluted and clouded their ability to recognize the dire need of the passengers on the Titanic. The decision made by this crew … that saving lives was less important than receiving a fine for illegal fishing is not any different to decisions made in business where self-serving interest will cloud ethical judgement.     The SS Californian   This ship was only 14 miles away from the Titanic, but because the conditions weren't favorable and it was dark, the crew convinced themselves that nothing bad was really happenin...
Read more