Defy difficulties
With gratitude
Several weeks ago I started on a journey to grow in my choice of an attitude of gratitude. What I have discovered so far is that choosing to find things to be thankful for in every circumstance is a defiant nevertheless that refuses to give in to a negative.
Being grateful when things are going well keeps you humble and in a place to continue to grow but choosing gratitude when things are difficult grows character that makes you bigger on the inside than on the outside. This character is the difference maker in a life of substance that can carry you for the long haul.
I was recently reminded that difficult people or relationships can be an amazing means of bringing our own character issues to light so we can deal with them. Years ago I had a friend who was an extreme introvert and a slow processor of information. I on the other hand was much more extroverted and typically process information at a fast pace. I loved hanging out with my friend. She was brilliant and had incredible insight into things. However, it took a lot of energy for me to slow down enough to be able to pull out the greatness in her. When we first started to do things together I would leave our encounters exhausted and a little frustrated.
I almost cut our friendship short because I didn’t like how she experienced being on the other side of me. But like I said, she was pretty amazing so I stuck out the friendship and started being thankful for all the character flaws that were being exposed in me. It was an invitation for me to grow. Gratitude in this situation allowed our friendship to shine a big light on a blind spot in my Johari window. The ways that I grew through our friendship has continued to serve me in all kinds of relationships both in business and my personal life.
Choosing gratitude doesn’t mean that I’m oddly thankful for bad situations. It’s recognizing the truthfulness of the difficult situation and making the defiant choice of something positive.
