Freda Mooncotch member for 1 year 25 weeks Send a message

Lately with all the bad news and negativity floating around I have turned back to my roots and faith. I am finding great comfort in my simple beliefs and realizing I don't have control. It is reassuring to me to know that in spite of my circumstances and the national and global circumstances that something much greater then me is in control of it all. Even though I may not understand all that is happening around me, to the world, I know that in the end everything will be as it should be.

I find that it is really easy to be grateful and have faith when everything in your life is going well. Shit, I could be as chipper as a woodpecker in a rain forest when everything is going smoothly, doors are opening with little to no effort and things are going my way. But, what happens when circumstances (external or internal) abruptly or unexpectably change? When it seems as if everything is falling apart around me? What I find is that my faith is challenged to the umpteen degree. 

I don't know about you, but every day I am challenged with a war. Yes, there is a battle I fight daily and the battle takes place in my mind.........what am I going to believe today? What am I going to allow into my thoughts? Am I going to allow myself to believe, even for a moment, that I am a failure? Am I going to lay down and give up? Am I going to allow a few rude comments of others to dismiss the positives comments from hundreds? Am I going to allow the news or the media to dictate my life? My dreams?

I am finding now, more then ever, that I need my faith. I need that strong foundation to fall back on. I need that stability in my life to know that even though life maybe kicking my ass and those around me that I am okay. 

Each morning I like to lay in bed for an extra five to thirty minutes and just go over all the things in my life that I am thankful for, that I am grateful for and lately I focus all of my energies there. I tried the "feeling sorry for myself" bit and that just didn't suit me well nor was it very profitable or satisfying. I find that the more energy I put into realizing all that I have today is more fulfilling than thinking about what I am leaving behind or where I hoped I would be. I guess it goes back to being present, in the moment, instead of living in the past or looking forward to something off in the distant future.

In addition to taking the time to be grateful, I read a little book called The Gratitude Principal by Dan Sullivan. I love this book. People who aren't grateful are the most miserable, unhappy people in the world. You know some, heck it might even be you! I believe this because I spent the better part of my twenties not being grateful. Like the author Dan Sullivan says, lack of gratitude produces symptoms such as envy, resentment, arrogance, alienation, complacency, cynicism, hopelessness, depression which are many of the symptoms of mental illness that afflict people today. 

Stop and think about that for a second.

He goes onto say that it is a "lack of gratitude that is the biggest obstacle to personal progress." Then he breaks it down into three types of people who have no gratitude.

First, the person who feels sorry for themselves. Second, the self-made person. Last, the person born on third base.

The person who feels sorry for themselves look around them and see others getting ahead of them. Other people are 'getting' so much. When they look at what they themselves have, it seems like nothing. As life goes forward, they find it more and more difficult to improve their situation. 

The self-made person has worked really hard to make themselves into successful people. But they never credit anyone else. Nothing that other people did to assist them matters in the least. They resent the suggestion that others were involved inn their success. Dan goes on to say, "Gradually, the find themselves isolated and running out of steam. It gets harder and harder to improve." 

Lastly, the person born on third base come from advantageous circumstances and take everything for granted. Dan says, "Some children of wealthy parents are born on third base and think they've hit a triple. They never have to work hard, take risks, overcome disadvantages, or create anything new and useful; yet they have an extraordinarily high opinion of their own abilities and accomplishments. However, when these individuals are confronted with challenges that require their own skill, courage, and initiative, they falter badly. All of their lives things have worked, and now suddenly it's stopped. Somebody's to blame for this! They either become resentful and cynical - or they become deeply depressed and fearful, feeling that the whole world is going downhill."

In all three scenario's one thing is for sure - they have NO gratitude.

Gratitude is not something we are born with. We are born selfish and self-centered. Gratitude is something that must be taught and cultivated. Dan defines gratitude as an internally-generated capability, which allows an individual to create and discover unlimited meaning and value in every situation and relationship in life.

So I ask......Are you grateful? Are you cultivating gratitude in your life? Today we are being challenged from every angle, how are you responding to these challenges and external forces that you can't control? No worries, because you can start today and win the battle in your mind. Focus all of your energy on being grateful and creatively responding to these external circumstances.Focus on building and cultivating strong relationships with friends, family, co-workers, clients and all those you come into contact with.

The economy will bounce back, it is just a matter of when and how low will we go before it does bounce back. Shore up, tighten up, make necessary changes and allow yourself to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions that will benefit others. The more you win that battle in your mind the more you will free up creative energy to creatively respond instead of react. Don't wait for a miracle.........make your miracle happen.

Of course I have a song to go with this post. It is a song that I LOVE called Going Wrong by Armin Van Buuren (youtube.com isn't working at the moment). The lyrics are more of a love song but I easily apply them to my life and this song gets me thinking clearly!

Yea I keep dreaming
But I have it all
Ooh I'm still craving
To have you by my side

I know our love is fading
But soon it will shine

And I can't see today
And I can't see tomorrow
You're burning out of my head
And my brain its going wrong

And I will live today
And I will love tomorrow
No matter what is said or done
Even if its going wrong

Even if its going wrong
You're burning out my head

I keep searching
Forever in your eyes
I'll be careful
But soon we will shine

And I can't see today
And I can't see tomorrow
You're burning out of my head
And my brain its going wrong

And I will live today
And I will love tomorrow
No matter what is said or done
Even if its going wrong

Even if its going wrong
You're burning out my head

Even if its going wrong