When Respect And Gratitude Head Out The Door, They Leave It Open For Lack And Attack - Grasshopper
When my youngest son was taking swimming lessons, his instructor told him the magic words were "reach and pull." That worked well in the pool, but the magic words that work in life are . . .
PLEASE AND THANK YOU!
The worldwide economy is suffering, relations between nations are crumbling and it seems people everywhere are angry. I'm certain the historians will have an answer after we're long gone as to why this is happening, but I believe we can keep this phenomenon from procreating now.
Respect and gratitude have left the building and no official proclamation can bring them back. "Please and Thank You" have not only left our language, they have left our attitude.
The only hope they have of making a return visit rests with you.
Lack enters our lives when gratitude leaves. Do a little informal survey with yourself. Do you say "Thank you" less often? Are you hearing it less often? Chances are one or both of those statements is accurate.
I can appreciate that "please take that hill" may not be the phrase that works on the battlefield, but reinstituting "please" into our daily life may keep us from marching off to war with those near and far.
When you take without asking, you communicate disrespect, no matter how charming or powerful you may be. Disrespect is a seed that grows like a weed resulting in attack.
When you fail to acknowledge the thoughtfulness or kindness of another, you set in motion the framework for a building that will remain empty. Eventually they will stop giving.
The manners that we were commonly taught have become exponentially uncommon. Somewhere along the way we bought into entitlement and that the rules of the road were only meant for others.
Take without give has become the way we live. And since just about everyone is doing it, we are having the collective rug being pulled out from under us.
The greediness begins when we lack appreciation for what we have. We are so focused on what's missing that we neglect to see the abundance of what's already here. We've forgotten how to say "Thank you."
We take the things we are grateful for for granted. This lack of acknowledgement not only keeps these things out of sight, it opens the window for them to take flight.
Big change rests on the solid foundation of small changes. What small change can you make right now in your own corner of the world that reflects "Please and Thank You" to everyone you meet?
Could it be that you will take 3 minutes each day to STOP and celebrate the things you are grateful for? Will it be that you'll begin asking for permission rather than forgiveness as a matter of course?
Resurrect "Please and Thank You" in your life and then plan a "Welcome Home" party for respect and gratitude. They are foundational for a peaceful and abundant life.
All the best,
John
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