Gratitude

Ever feel like the world is crashing down on you? Things just aren’t going right or as expected? I have experienced many things in my lifetime and others have experienced even more. Loss of jobs, health concerns, money struggles, storm damage, even loss of loved ones.

Why do some people seem to handle these struggles better than others? They seem to face them head on and work through them and come out the other side.

As a Sociology major in college, I am always fascinated studying what makes people do the things they do. Why can some people handle difficulties better than others? Faith seems to be a key component. When people believe that there is something bigger in the universe and that all of these earthly issues are just temporary, they seem to deal with tragedies better.

But another reason that seems to make a difference is a person’s outlook on life. In particular: their gratitude. I once read a short story that seemed to drive home this point:

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said ‘I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write? " The man said," I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: 'Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.'

In essence, both signs said the same thing, the young boy was blind. But the second sign took it a step further and reminded others that they were fortunate to be able to see. It made people be thankful for their sight.

As a leader in organizations, I believed that it was my role and responsibility to help people to ‘see’. I needed to help them to think differently and to be positive despite our/their struggles. Leaders in the workplace and at home can drastically change a culture when they are sincere cheerleaders. Lifting people up, being a crutch and helping them to focus on their blessings and not only the issues somehow seems to give folks and organizations the ammunition and tools to battle the challenges of life and business.

Thanks for reading this and have a great weekend. With a goal to “help the next guy in line”, Glen Cavallo, a 30+ year healthcare executive has chosen to share the many lessons he has learned with others. Glen does this by serving as a coach/advisor to leaders at all levels of organizations, as a board member and as he presents inspirational speeches at regional, national, annual and awards meetings.