Grateful People: Are You Among Them? (New Thought Sunday Message 12/19/10)

There's more to gratitude than 'thank you'...

"If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough." Oprah Winfrey 

So, here we are, another holiday season, the time for giving and receiving on a vast commercial scale. But that doesn't mean it can't be a spiritually significant time for us. No matter who we are or where we are or what we have or don't have, there is something for which we can be grateful. 

Are you a grateful person? What is gratitude, anyway? Here's my take...

Grateful people have a sense of maturity. They motivate themselves rather than always waiting to be motivated by outside sources, though they are willing to receive what resonates with them. They challenge assumptions, especially their own. They assess their own abilities and take calculated risks.

Grateful people make time work FOR them rather than against them. They inspire others to action and have a sense of playfulness. They know the benefits—and the pitfalls—of a positive mental attitude. They make common sense common practice. They know that relationships are based on good communication, that listening is the most important skill.

Grateful people are energized by, not frightened by, change and can snap back from slumps. They’re willing to do what it takes to reach greater heights. They realize that life is not necessarily fair, that the hustle never ends, but that the benefits ultimately outweigh the drawbacks. They have discovered that everything can be a gift.

Grateful people know that they are already successful. And they understand the Number One  Principle of Life—compassion, which simply means to do the least harm, and to help where they can.

Grateful people count their blessings.

"Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble." Ben Franklin