On January 16th, 2009, I found this thought provoking article posted on: The Naked Soul (Blog).
“More, more, give me more” is a common way of thinking for many. Many are never truly satisfied for once their hunger for the next thing is met; they develop a hunger for another next thing. Many people approach the banquet of life with an insatiable appetite, one that always leaves them wanting more (note, it is good to continually feed our soul, however we must have time between meals to digest that which we receive). Others seem satisfied with what would culturally appear to be much less and they are thankful for that which they have.
A family I know lives an abundant life, they live in a nice house, big yard, they drive two recently purchased expensive cars, they have an abundance of food in their home and they readily share what they have with neighbors, friends and strangers in need. By cultural standard, this family by no means is rich; however they do live an abundant life. When you talk to the husband and wife of this family they openly express how thankful they are for all that they have. They are often heard to say that they live a blessed life and that they are very fortunate to have all that they have. In the same family lives an 18 year old daughter in her freshman year of college. If you were to speak with the daughter and ask her about her life, she would quickly point out that her family is poor. She would illustrate this by telling you of all the things that she does not have and all the things that she perceives her family does not have. You would quickly note, that she has no sense of gratitude for all the abundance that she has in her life. All you would hear when speaking to her is that she simply wants more, more clothes (even though she has a closet full of brand name clothes), a new car (even though she has a great car, slightly used though it may be), more money, a bigger house, a new TV, etc, the list would go on and on. If she does not develop gratitude, this young woman will be chasing an elusive goal forever, she will find that she is never satisfied with life as she continues to believe that happiness is just one more thing away or is just around the corner when she achieves her next goal, purchase, etc.
Having a gratitude attitude is key to finding peace on our journey. Being thankful does not mean that you cannot desire more, being thankful simply means that you are grateful for the abundance that you have regardless of the level of abundance in societal terms. In many ways the more thankful we are, the more that comes our way. Conversely when a person is not thankful and is in a constant state of want, desire, give me, give me that person will feel that they are constantly on the edge of losing everything. In fact often times they are driven by the fear of loss and that fear manifests itself into stress, ulcers, nervous conditions, depression, etc.
When we are grateful we are in a posture where we can readily receive all that comes our way and because we do not fear loss, we do not hold on to things so tightly that they slip through our fingers. In fact, we find that the more ready we are to give that which appears so valuable; the more we are able to accept more. The beauty of having gratitude is we are not defined by receiving more and if more does not show up, that is okay because we are not possessed by that which comes and goes in our life.
When we have gratitude we find peace and freedom in our being.
Today, consider all that you are grateful for. You may even desire to make a list of all that you are grateful for. Consider what you are not grateful for and then shift your perspective to find something to be grateful for in that which you listed as something you don’t want or like about your life.
Do you believe that you are entitled to certain things in your life, such as your possessions, your job, your position in an organization? Do you hear yourself saying, “I worked hard for what I have and I deserve what I have or I deserve the position that I hold”? I challenge you to shift your perspective and consider how thankful you are to have what you have, to be in the position that you are in, etc.
When you shift your perspective and develop gratitude, you will sense a change, you will probably come to a realization that you are fortunate and our very thankful for what you have and that you are no longer possessed by your possessions or position in life. You will experience a new level of peace as you come to understand that you have no fear of loss, for you are grateful in your being and not possessed by your fear of losing that which you falsely believe is yours.
Be thankful for all that is and you will feel an incredible peace as you shake of f the yoke of unquenched perpetual desire for more.
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