Thankfulness: The Game-Changer
You might think it’s easy to be thankful this time of year. There is delicious food, magical sights, holiday parties, days off work? The list goes on. But maybe you don’t have any of that to enjoy. My home away from home, New Jersey, was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. My Grandma just died. Some of my dreams seem no further along than they did last year at this time, and so on. Yeah, be thankful, right. When I start feeling down like this, there is one thing I’ve learned recently that amazes me every time I recall the lesson and act on it.
Choose to be thankful at all times. No matter what is going wrong, my guess is you have something or some things going very right. Do you have food and shelter? Those are two big items right there. Two of my dreams (actually probably more than that) have come true in the last year. I got to attend a conference on dreams, and this spring I am going on my first mission trip. What do you have to be thankful for?
Thankfulness is a game-changer. Writing down what you are thankful for is particularly powerful. My outlook changes dramatically when I do that. Give it a try!
Here is my list of things I am thankful for, related to my dreams, along with some questions to get you thinking:
1. My God, my friend - Have you made Him your friend?
2. My parents - What things have your parents done for you that you take for granted?
3. My extended family and close friends - Who do you allow in your inner circle? Why?
4. My pastors and mentors - Who can provide you with unbiased counsel and opinions?
5. My elder and younger friends - Who can you take lessons from and to whom can you show the way? Also, keep in mind, people are watching you. Have you asked them what they see? Don’t assume.
6. My buddies and female friends - Who is helping you become a better man or lady?
7. My longtime friends and new friends - For the last few months, I’ve been living in a new environment that attracts people from all over the world. Interacting with different cultures makes me come alive unlike anything else. What’s more, no matter where I go from here, I’ll always have friends all over the world. How cool is that?! Who is someone you should befriend? At the same time, few things are better than striking up a conversation with an old friend? Which old friend have you called lately?
8. Doubters - We all have had people say there’s no way we would succeed with something, only to prove them wrong. Who is a doubter you have disproved?
9. People who have made mistakes - I’m a firm believer that you can learn something from everyone. That may mean that you do what they didn’t do or vice versa. Of course, you may fall into this category at one time or another. That’s OK. Let someone take a positive away from your negative.
10. Freedom - I am thankful to live in the USA. What’s more, lately I have experienced new-found freedom - freedom to be fully me, freedom to take more risks, freedom to not have all the answers along the way, freedom to try new things - What freedoms are you thankful for? What freedoms do you take for granted?
At this point, I think you get the idea. It takes other people to make a dream a reality. Who did I forget on my list? What does yours look like? Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you, Sam’s Dream Blog readers!