This is just one of the great shiurs(speeches) that really inspires me every day, hope it inspires you as well
Imagine for a moment one of those nights when you just can't fall asleep ad you ahve to get up early the next morning for a very important meeting of which you are the keynote speaker. Your alarm clock goes off early in the morning waking you from what little sleep you had. you stumble out of bed, have a quick shower, grab a coffee and some toast, ad off you go to fight the traffic on the way to work.
Does that sound liek thes tart of a terrible day? Most would answer 'yes'. Few people however, would answer, 'no'. These are the people, who are in my opinion blessed with a gift. A gift that determines how they view their life. These peopel live with 'a attitude of gratitude'. For them, the situation described could be worse. Much worse. For example, think of the man who doesn't have a bed, let alone a roof to cover his head. When he is awoken form what little sleep he is abl eto get, it is by the rain falling on his cold body. He too stumbles to his feet and begins his journey to work in his bare feet. His work is in the field of survival. He searches through garbage cans for scraps of half-rotten food to eat adn odd bits of clothes to keep him warm.
The purpose of this example is to illustrate that we all have so much to be grateful for. Even in times when it seems that nothing could be worse, there is always a reason to be grateful. And when you feel a sense of gratitude, you feel a sense of happiness and content. My challenge to you today is to learn to look for the goo din eveyr situation and live with 'an attitude of gratitude'.
I assure you, if you were the fellow searching for food in garbage cans you too could find thigns to be grateful for. You just have to look hard enough adn 'open your eyes' to what is aroudn you. You have to focus on what's good in your life, not what's bad.
"I once was distraught because i had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet."
Life works in mysterious ways. Time and time again there have been stories of people who are in a dire strait yet they are found helping others who are experiencing greater turmoil. This is becuase once you have helped someone in greater need than yourself, you always feel better. You feel better because you have helped another human being, and this forces you to change yoru mindset from focusing on yoru problems to focusing on their solutions.
Always focus on the solution, not the problem and live iwth an attitude fo gratitude! Mother Teresa was a primary example of this phenomenon. Her entire life revolved around helping others in need. As a result she experienced a grea tdeal fo love and self-satisfaction in her lfie.
I challenge you now to take a moment to think of five things in your life that you are grateful for today. FOr example, your friends, your family, your job, your sense of smell, touch,sight, and sound. The list can go on an don and on. Imagine what your life would be like without these things. Write them down on a piece of paper and really think about the things you are grateful for. You will be amazed at how great you will feel.
