"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."-Meister Eckhart
While the fact this post comes out on Thanksgiving is not a coincidence, this is not about being thankful one day per year. We focus so much on life’s challenges and goals that we sometimes neglect the beauty and the robustness of the things we have. Now seems like as good a time as any to take a step back and say “thanks.”
- Gain some perspective. When is the last time you took a step back and truly looked at your life from the outside looking in? Your job, your house, your health? Somewhere, someone wishes they had what you take for granted.
- Enjoy what you have. You worked your ass off and bought the home you always wanted with the beautiful, lakeview back porch. When is the last time you sat on the porch? When is the last time you walked out there to truly enjoy what you worked for and what you have?
- Hug your family. 8 months of being locked up with your family can drive anyone crazy. Not to mention, we all generally have a plethora of issues with family members. But barring any horrendous acts of abuse, maybe it’s due time for you to just give them all a hug. Whether it’s your kids, your partner, your parents, siblings or grandparents, you should be thankful you have them in your life. Some people spend their lives wishing they had a family of their own and there is a good chance you spend yours being annoyed.
- Do something with the gifts you have. Nothing will make you appreciate what you have like accomplishing something others cannot. Run the 10K. Deadlift 500lbs. Close that big deal. If you have abilities and they are going to waste, you have no appreciation for the gifts you have.
- Be humbled. Head up your ass lately? Ego blocking your view? Sounds like it may be time to take a step back from yourself and realize you are a drop of a water in a pretty big ocean. There is always somebody who can lift more, who has more money in their bank account, who can tap you out or knock you out. Do not allow your ego to think you always deserve more than what you have because what you have should be treasured everyday.
- Take a breath. We are always running and normally, we advise to always be running. But sometimes it is imperative to take a breath and look around. There will always be more work to do. Always be more weights to lift or moves to drill. This life is finite and way too often we do not take a step back to appreciate what we have before most of life has passed us by.
- Just say “thank you.” You do not need to wait for a near death experience or something extraordinary before you just say “thank you” for what you have. We are not interjecting any religious or even spiritual meaning behind this. Just appreciate what you have and recognize that even at your worst, there is always something to be thankful for. It is easy to say “thanks” when everything is perfect but much harder during the tough times. It is something we strive to do daily and we think you should too.
