Attitude of Gratitude

 

    This week’s readings were on the importance of gratitude. We read a case study of Randy Raykins. During this case study, he reflects on his own strengths and weaknesses. One weakness that he touched on was his ability to appreciate people and really reward them in real-time. He talked about being caught up in his endeavors of beginning a startup company and being so focused on that, that he neglected to see and appreciate the efforts of everyone around him. He commented on how during those early years, "Everything is shifting. And in that shifting environment, you have got to remember to thank people. It is not so easy. I think a good leader is able to reward people at the appropriate times and keep people motivated." 

    I really feel that the key to life is noticing and appreciating the little things that make our lives better and the people who have impacted our lives. Everyone wants to be appreciated and noticed.

    We had the opportunity to read a talk given by Pres. Thomas S. Monson called “An Attitude of Gratitude”. At the beginning of his talk, he talked about the 10 lepers who were healed and how only one came back to the Savior and thanked him for healing him. As a parent, I can understand this to some degree. When you sacrifice your time and energy and it is not appreciated or acknowledged it can become like a pebble in your shoes. I have at times begun to feel unappreciated and that my decision to be a stay at home mom was not the right choice. Then you have those times when your efforts have been acknowledged and noticed and it makes the world of difference. You want to do more for them and would go to the ends of the earth for them. Reading this part about the lepers has caused me to ponder and think about my ingratitude and how I have taken people and situations for granted.

"Like the leprosy of yesteryear are the plagues of today. They linger; they debilitate; they destroy. They are to be found everywhere. Their pervasiveness knows no boundaries. We know them as selfishness, greed, indulgence, cruelty, and crime, to identify but a few. Surfeited with their poison, we tend to criticize, to complain, to blame, and, slowly but surely, to abandon the positives and adopt the negatives of life."

Pres. Thomas S. Monson

    Today I would like to take a small moment to thank those things that Pres. Monson encouraged us to be thankful for:

Mothers: My mom is the most giving and caring person you will ever meet. She has taught me to show unconditional love for everyone with who I have had the chance to rub shoulders with and to the importance of service. That no matter what is going on or happening around me that there is always something I can do for someone else to brighten their day or lighten their load. For this I will always be grateful, I have found over the years that service unites and heals.

Fathers: My dad taught me the value of doing an honest day’s work. That I am capable of doing and becoming anything, I desire, if I am willing to put forth the effort and to put a little bit of elbow grease into it. Because of this, I have an amazing work ethic that many have commented on over the years. I am proactive and a go-getter. I am grateful for these skills that he helped me develop.

Teachers: Over the years I have had some amazing teachers to help me and encourage me to stretch and grow. That believed me and saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Now that I am a TA for BYUI, I have come to appreciate and see the hard work that teachers put into their students. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of ingratitude also.

Friends: I have lived in many different places over the years. In each place, I have had the amazing opportunity to meet some of the most Christlike people, people who have chosen to be in my life. These people have become some of my dearest friends. They have seen me for who I am both good and bad and have loved me and encouraged me to become something better. I have learned that to become a friend you first need to be a friend. Listening is key to a good friendship.

Country: I am not sure why I was so blessed to be born and live in the United State. We live in a great country that has given us many freedoms and chances of living an amazing life. I didn’t really appreciate what a gift it was to live in the United States until I lived out of the country for a year. While living in Russia, I needed to go to the US Embassy for paperwork. When I came around the corner and saw the American flag, it took my breath away. It was a sacred, emotional experience. That flag represents my freedoms and the sacrifice of many so that I could have what I have today.

Savior: I am not sure that I will be able to fully thank my Savior for all that he has done for me and continues to do for me. I am sure I don’t even have a degree of understanding of the depth of love and care he has for me as an individual. I feel the best way for me to show my gratitude is to not only express my thoughts and feelings to him through prayer but through my actions, by serving him and others, by doing the small and simple things each day to show my devotion and love to him as I try to draw my life closer to him.

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help.

We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." Pres. Thomas S. Monson