Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!!!

I started writing and thinking about gratitude years ago. Over the years, my thoughts and ideas about gratitude evolved.

When I first started writing about gratitude, I thought about it as a feel-good, pollyanna concept. In fact, for the first couple of years, I just had a laundry list of things for which I was grateful.

However, my understanding of how important gratitude is has evolved. Now, I think about gratitude as a principle of success. It’s something necessary to infuse into every aspect of your life.

As human beings, we are wired for the negative. This is meant to keep us safe and away from threats. This wiring goes all the way back to when we were cave people. So, when we are cut off on the freeway, encounter a rude waiter, or even get a flippant text, our brain reacts as if a predator is chasing us.

Researchers say that humans need three positive experiences to counterbalance negative ones. This is where gratitude comes in.

This year, I have been honing in on another benefit of gratitude.

Ready?

Here we go.

We all need resources, tools, and people in our lives that we can leverage to reach our goals. If we don’t know how to use the resources at our disposal, and even worse, don't even realize that they are there, then we will have a challenging time understanding what needs to happen.

Information, people, and methodologies can bring us closer to almost every goal. However, if we don’t invite or utilize these resources, we will have a more challenging time reaching our goals.

Many people do the exact opposite. They think everyone is out to get them. They think that information and books are useless. They think their employers are evil, even though they sign the checks. They think their loved ones only get in the way.

These are exactly what will propel you to success, not hold you back. Yes, information and people are not perfect. Yes, corporate America is not set up for everybody to succeed. Yes, nobody is perfect or going to fit into your life exactly as you want. However, having these things in your life and learning to utilize them is truly a blessing.

Here is an example that is deeply personal to me.

I could easily hate my wheelchair, but I learned that there is a big difference between hating your wheelchair and resenting having to be in a wheelchair. Although far from perfect, my wheelchair allows me to go places and travel. In fact, without my wheelchair, I would not be able to get around my house. I would be confined to a 10ft x10ft area of my home.

Of course, it would be awesome not to have a disability and not need a wheelchair. Thankfully, my wheelchair allows me freedom.

I want you to think about what resources in your life and having other people’s help can help you achieve amazing things. Consider these your true blessings.