Gratitude

‘No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.’ Alfred North Whitehead

I consider myself incredibly fortunate; I have a loving family, supportive friends, and a career that has been enabled by colleagues and clients who have provided me the opportunity to be of service to them.

I grew up in an environment that demanded ‘good manners’ and politeness. Several years ago, I was sharing a meal with a colleague, and as we were getting ready to leave our table, they said, ‘do you realize how often you say please and thank you?.’ They noted every interaction I had with the server started with a please and ended with a thank you.

I consider these simple expressions of gratitude a positive trait; they have become a habit, almost to the point of being a reflex. I have, however, come to appreciate the importance of reflective gratitude versus reflex gratitude.

Reflective gratitude comes from deep thought, thoughtful consideration of what you are gratefully for. I make a point of regularly pondering who and what I am grateful for; however, I find that all too often, I don’t then take the next step of expressing my gratitude.

‘Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.’ William Arthur Ward

I am sincerely grateful for my family, friends, colleagues, and clients.

In these challenging times, I am also grateful for all the frontline workers that continue to help keep our communities safe and the world running.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message… see, I can’t help myself… please forgive me... thank you.