I am practicing being grateful for the stuff that’s hard. The stuff we don’t normally give thanks for.
I give thanks that my mom died when I was 20. It shaped who I am today.
I give thanks for not having close relationships with my family of origin. It makes me even more grateful for the ones that are in my life daily. And it has forced me to create family by choice.
I give thanks for not being popular in school and having to face my own shame and disappointment consistently. That helped me figure out who I wanted to be.
I give thanks for not going to church when I was an older teen and young adult. It helped me see I really wanted to be there, and to return for the best reasons.
I give thanks for feeling depressed and lonely during the year we lived in Germany. It led me to life coaching and THAT is the best ever.
From a young age, I have always been in a hurry to get to the future:
I can’t wait to graduate high school and leave this town.
Then, I can’t wait until college.
Then, I can’t wait until I am married.
Then, I can’t wait until I have kids.
Then, I can’t wait until the diapering stage is all done.
Then, I can’t wait until they can make their own food.
Then, I can’t wait until the teen years are over!
And on and on.
Now that I have decided to start my own business, it’s all about when my business is fully off the ground and how much money I am making.
This comes from the belief that when you get “there,” life will be better.
But it’s not true.
Because when you get “there” you will still have your current brain.
Your brain will still see things the same way.
There will always be something else that comes up; a new problem to deal with.
This is really clear with money. No matter how much money one makes, their expenses seem to grow to fit the income.
So what if “here” is just as good as “there?”
Would there still be a rush?
I think this is why gratitude is so powerful. It helps us see that “here” is amazing.
The whole point is to have joy all along the way, right?
If we are in a rush to get to the next thing, are we really enjoying the now?
The results we get from an emotion of urgency won’t be nearly as good as results that come from fulfillment, joy or just plain ol’ desire.
Here’s an amazing quote to end on:
Sometimes anxiety sprouts not from how much we want, but how quickly we want it, how desperately we are trying to rush through the course of our lives. Who cares if you don’t achieve that big, huge thing this year? Would it be any less incredible next year? Or the one after that? What if, instead of pressuring yourself to achieve everything, right now, you committed instead to working toward your dreams every single day, a little at a time?
Brianna Wiest
My challenge to myself and to everyone else who can relate is to stop rushing.
Commit along with me to working toward your dreams every single day, a little at a time.
