Attitude of Gratitude
Thankfulness is a tricky thing because sometimes, it can be fleeting. I’ve noticed, in myself as well as in others, that our level of thankfulness can be entirely conditional. If I haven’t achieved “enough” in one semester, I’m not as thankful because I think, “Well, what do I have to be thankful for?” If I have achieved numerous things I had hoped for, I am often less thankful because I tell myself, “This wasn’t handed to me. I worked hard to be where I am, and hard works pays off.” But is that spirit of conditional thankfulness really the way we are called to live? No.
I am not going to sit here and list off all of the things that so many of us take for granted each day and tell you that your family, your education, your friends, or your hobbies should be enough for you. The truth is, yes, they should be enough for us…but we all already know that.
My middle and high school years were dominated by athletics. I was blessed enough to play a sport that I really enjoyed and was able to compete at a very high level. During this time, I had every world-renowned coach, every internationally recognized Sports Psychologist, and every well-known strength and conditioning coach at my immediate disposal. While each preached something specific to their area of expertise, there was one concept that overlapped every time—mindset. For years, each one of these experts focused their message, not on the facts of the game or the physical component of sports, but on my mind and how my thoughts could control my performance.
My days on the court are behind me, but the lessons I learned there are certainly not. If you know me well, you know that my answer to almost everything is, “Find a way to make it work.” This phrase is one I often tell myself as a reminder that it isn’t the amount of material on my test that matters, it isn’t how much easier it was for my siblings to academically excel, it isn’t even how I wish I had more time to spend with my friends or how I mourn the precious time that was taken from our Spring 2020 semester. Those things aren’t what really matter, and we have to decide to believe that. We have to set our mindsets towards moving forward.
Thankfulness is about realizing how God has blessed you and then letting gratitude flow through you and into every aspect of your life. Thankfulness is about realizing the intent behind a friend’s action and letting them know you appreciated it. Thankfulness is about making sympathy and empathy common practice when you converse with others. Really, thankfulness is realizing that no matter how you feel, you woke up today with things you took for granted…and in the grand scheme of things, you’re doing alright.
Like I mentioned earlier, we all have things we take for granted each day that we know we shouldn’t. It doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate those things or those people, it just means that we momentarily forgot to show it. So, I want to challenge you. You don’t have to call all your friends and tell them how much you love them, you don’t have to facetime your dog because you haven’t seen him in weeks, you don’t even have to go home and make a list of things you are thankful for. You can, and those things are certainly a great start, but what if you focused on permanently altering your mindset instead? It has often been said that actions speak louder than words.
So let’s decide that no matter what does or does not come, we are going to make a conscious effort to express our thankfulness. Let’s commit to proclaiming that our mood will not be drastically altered by our circumstances, but instead, let’s choose to start each day with a grateful heart because our thankfulness is not conditional. Let’s refocus on what we were put on this earth to accomplish, and let’s have such authentic gratitude in our everyday lives that even our closest friends notice a difference.
Always remember the multitude of things that you have to be thankful for. God made you, and He pieced together your life—and God doesn’t make junk. The difference is in the details, and you alone control your outlook on life. So, the question remains. Will you change your mindset? Will you be unconditionally thankful? Can you make the commitment?
