Count your blessings was something my Mother said to me often and it has taken me a while to fully appreciate the wisdom of this advice.
This last week saw the celebration of Thanksgiving, a national holiday observed in the US and other countries that sees families gather together to give thanks for the good things in their lives.
And yet, more people than ever would seem to feel a sense of anger, frustration and hopelessness about the state of the world we live in and their ability to make ends meet and/or to make a meaningful difference.
When life seems messy, stressful or just too hard, it can be difficult to feel gratitude and easier to express dissatisfaction, disappointment and discomfort. To become a victim of our circumstances rather than seeing opportunity and options.
Viktor Frankl, a holocaust survivor who wrote “Man’s Search for Meaning” believed that everything can be taken from a man except for one thing; the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.
Finding opportunities for gratitude, by appreciating life in the moment – a sunset, a child’s laughter, a shared meal, a walk in nature – can help us to stay grounded, connected and strong in the face of crisis and challenge.
Showing genuine appreciation can inspire and empower others when times are tough by ACEing it and
- Acknowledging
- Congratulating
- Encouraging
As Viktor Frankl observed, each of us can find meaning by focusing on what life expects of us in the midst of challenge, and in acknowledging that beauty and kindness can still be experienced despite dehumanising conditions.
This is true freedom.
All the truly great persons I have ever met are characterised by what I would call radical humility and gratitude.
– Richard Rohr –
Gratitude is not a form of passive acceptance or complicity. Rather, it is the capacity to stare doubt, loss, chaos, and despair right in the eye and say, “I am still here.”
– Diana Butler Bass –