Gratitude Is The Master Key

Thanksgiving

Gratitude is the master key….it opens the door to abundance.  I remember hearing the story of a woman who was attending a motivational training seminar.  After one of the sessions she engaged the trainer in a discussion about her very unhappy experience with her employment.  She told the trainer that she disliked her coworkers and although she had great skills she felt underpaid.  She felt unappreciated and confessed she could not think of anything she liked about her job.  The trainer listened patiently, then he said; “Well, based on what you’re telling me, if I were your boss, I’d fire you.”  He continued; “Anyone with an attitude like you’ve expressed is like a cancer in any organization.”  Then he proceeded to ask questions about her employment.  He found the woman worked for a company that offered paid vacations, 401Ks, health insurance, and flex spending.  Her work area was climate controlled, nicely decorated, clean and her equipment was well maintained.  She kept to herself and rarely spoke to fellow employees whom she considered snobbish.  He then pointed out that she, in fact, had a very good job and most likely had not been given a raise because of her ungrateful attitude.  He challenged her over the next two weeks to smile and speak kindly to her fellow employees.  He asked her to express sincere gratitude for everything anyone did for her; to smile and say “Thank you” for even the simplest of things.  If anyone showed the slightest gesture of consideration such as stepping aside to let her pass in the hallway, take a moment, smile and say “Thank you.”  He said he would call in two weeks to see if she felt any better about her job.

When he called two weeks later the employee sounded like a different person.  She reported the other employees were really very friendly.  She realized she had not given them a chance to befriend her.  Every day she took time to remind herself of the things she appreciated about her job.  She did some soul searching and realized she had fallen into a habit of taking things for granted.  Showing gratitude changed her work experience.  She had a new outlook, felt confident about her future and found she really liked her coworkers and her job.

What are you taking for granted?  Look around.  Are you sitting in a comfortable chair?  Do you have a roof over your head?  Is there food in your cupboard?  Is your space warm in winter and cool in summer?  Are you washing your clothes on a scrub board or do you use an automatic washer and dryer?  Are you able to listen to your favorite music anytime you want?  Is entertainment right at your fingertips?  Do you have warm blankets to snuggle in?  Do you appreciate these things or do you take them for granted assuming they will always be there?  Take time to recognize the nice things you have that make life more comfortable.  Develop an attitude of gratitude.

What about family and friends?  When someone cooks a meal for you, or works long hours to make sure you have food and shelter or clean clothes, do you let them know you appreciate it?  When even the smallest gesture of kindness is given, acknowledge it and give sincere thanks.  The world loves appreciative people.  When you make a habit of showing your appreciation you will notice others seem to go out of their way to help you.  We all crave appreciation and it is a rare commodity.  Be generous in your appreciation.  One thing I have found that really makes a difference is to write thank you notes for kind acts of those around you.  Get some stationery and make a habit of sending little thank you notes to others.  When someone takes time to send me a thank you note, it makes my day.  I love it.

Appreciate life!  Give it your best.  When your efforts are based on inner values, rather than who will be impresses or the recognition we might receive, life repays you with inner peace.  Be grateful that God has placed you here at this time.  Appreciate the opportunities that present themselves to help you realize who you really are.  Always do what you do based on inner desire knowing some may like it and others may not.  When we give life our best we show our appreciation to God for His special gift to the world…..namely YOU.

I remember The Final Analysis written by Mother Theresa of Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;  Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;  Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;  Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see in the final analysis, it is all between you and God;  It was never between you and them anyway.

My challenge to you is to greet every experience with a sense of gratitude.  God sees to it that life brings us exactly what we need just when we need it.  Be grateful for EVERYTHING that shows up.  Let us be quick with our thanks to others.  May we always keep a prayer of gratitude in our hearts.  Remember gratitude opens the door to prosperity.  Never let a day pass without taking time to give thanks for the abundance which surrounds us.

For now, Earlynn’s just sayin’ “It’s Thanksgiving time.  Enjoy the season and carry your gratitude forward throughout the year…..it is the Master key to abundance.”

http://earlynnsjustsayin.org/inspirational-thought/

To order your copy of Earlynn’s book, Transformed, just click on the above tab, “Earlynn’s Book’.  Thank you.  Gloria!  In Excelsis! Deo

About Earlynn

Earlynn is a spunky mother, grandmother and yes, even a great grandmother. I have always been drawn to things spiritual from the time I was very young. Over the years I have read, studied and prayed that God would use me to bring comfort to troubled minds. That is my purpose more than anything else, but along the way I have also lived a very happy life. I love my family....5 children, 5 inlaws, 18 grandkids and four great grandkids. I am a master cake decorator, I love gardening, I am passionate about health and nutrition. I love parties and gatherings of family and friends. I love cooking and at least twice each year I host dinner for 50. I love writing, teaching and public speaking. I love my sweetheart. We met when we were only 10 years old and will soon celebrate our 50th anniversary. Everything I do is centered on my spiritual beliefs and I know love is the answer to all of life's problems. Join me on my web site as we explore many ideas, laugh a little and love a lot.
This entry was posted in Self Improvement, Spirituality and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Gratitude Is The Master Key

  1. I got this website from my pal who told me on the
    topic of this web page and at the moment this time I am browsing this website
    and reading very informative content here.

Comments are closed.