In our increasingly busy lives, it is easy to get wrapped up in the mindset of “always wanting more” – more for ourselves, our businesses, our families, our teams.
And whilst it is true that we need dreams, goals, and visions of the future to keep us motivated – sometimes in the haze of wanting more we forget about the here and now and what we already have.
Gratitude.
A simple word and yet one that takes discipline, consistency and focus to remember.
And to live by.
The other week, a few LBDs and I visited the Warwick Farm community – a forgotten town about two hours outside of Sydney. A town that on paper is in despair; three generations of unemployment, families wondering where their next meals are coming from, a feeling for many that it is safer to be on the streets than at home, teenage pregnancy issues, significant community challenges with drug, alcohol and domestic violence. Yet we came away from our visit inspired by the stories of incredible strength, wisdom, focus and drive.
The stories of the women we met don’t need to be told here. What does need to be shared is the overriding comment from each that they were grateful for what they had and there were many others worse off.
How many of us have that attitude on a daily basis – when we have, on a material level, so very much more?
It was, and I believe I speak for all of us, both a humbling and inspiring day. Through our First Seeds Fund we will be supporting this community and the inspiring and determined women there who are not going to give in; who are driven, who are going to be change-makers for themselves and their community.
The whole experience reinforced for me a lesson in learning to be grateful.
“We are all walking around with an amazing resource: gratitude,” says Dr. Steven Toepfer. “It helps us express and enjoy, appreciate, be thankful and satisfied with a little effort. We all have it, and we need to use it to improve our quality of life.”
The truism ‘happiness is a journey and not a destination’ exists for a reason – because it is true. Maybe if more of us took a moment each day to acknowledge what we are grateful for in our lives, that journey would be far more enjoyable and less stressful.
Inspire. Connect. Succeed.
And at the same time… be grateful for all that is good in your lives. Because there is so much!
