Comedian Louis CK has a great bit about how people on airplanes are the worst.
“I had to wait 40 minutes on the runway.”
Really? You left out the part where you flew through the air…like a BIRD. What about the miracle of air travel we all take for granted? Nowadays you can do New York to L.A. in 6 hours. Once upon a time the same journey could take thirty years, and about half of you wouldn’t survive.
That’s one reason I like stand-up.
Nothing like a little pointed ridicule to remind us when we’re acting like attention deficit millennials who freak out in a brunch line.
Look, we all have problems.
But here’s a rule of human achievement too powerful to ignore:
Until we appreciate the good we have, we won’t get any more.
Think of a child. You buy her a toy. She turns it over in her little fingers a few times, then chucks it on the floor and demands new one. How inclined are you to buy it for her?
The energy of GRATITUDE is a prerequisite for GAIN.
That’s why it’s pointless to have goals unless you start from a place of gratitude.
Want to be healthier? Appreciate whatever health you have now.
One reason New Year’s Resolutions fail is they’re big lists of things we don’t like. And often, we’ve been stewing in our resentment of these things for a long time.
But consider this…
It’s impossible to feel resentment AND gratitude simultaneously.
They’re incompatible.
Similarly, you can’t experience FEAR and ANGER when every cell in your body is vibrating at the frequency of LOVE. Negative emotions are ancient brain states designed to protect you by keeping you ensnared in the known. That’s why gratitude is a launching pad. It puts you in a state that makes you more receptive. It inspires right action. And it acts as a beacon that draws in the abundance all around you.
So don’t make lists of goals…
Make lists of what you’re grateful for.
Do it daily.
Don’t leave it to chance. They’re YOUR thoughts, take responsibility for them. Prime the pump and appreciate any time it feels right to do so.
Goals, and *what’s next* flashes are the natural offspring of this process.
One last anecdote: when I worked at Extreme Fitness, the cleaner was a Mexican guy called Carlos. Every day Carlos came to work, he wore a beaming smile, and greeted everyone with an enthusiastic, “ehhh, Muchacho!” Carlos had a lot of friends, and despite what we might consider his relatively humble position, a great life. I once asked him why he was so happy. He seemed puzzled. “Life is BEAUTIFUL,” he said. “I have my family. I have a job – so many nice people here. And I live in Canada, where it’s safe.”
Good share.
Make it a point to count your blessings on the regular…
Then, let goals be the sincere expression of living a life of gratitude.
Happy Appreciating,
Conor Kelly
conorkelly.com