“Grateful is our mindset.”
Hard to believe this is my last core value message of the year! As another year ends, we reflect on everything we have accomplished and some of the things that we have not. Some of us will decide that 2021 was not a great year, and still, others will decide that it was.
I personally had many great moments in 2021 and achieved many of my goals. I also fell short on some of my goals and also regressed in some areas of my life that I am trying to improve. Even with that being said, someone asked me just the other day how my year was, and I immediately answered, “it was great because I’m alive.”
Many times we decide we did not have a great year because of money, relationships, social status, or even a personal tragedy like the loss of a loved one. This is very understandable, these are not pleasant situations, and they can make us feel defeated or sad.
If I personally sat down and wrote a list of all the great things that happened to me this year and all of the not-so-great things that happened to me this year, I would have plenty to add to both lists. I have never actually done this on paper, but I have done this mentally in the past in my mind. This year I will sit down and write that list, but it will have three columns, not two!
The third column will be titled, “The greatest thing that happened to me this year,” and I will add the answer below it: “I am still alive!”
That’s right, no matter how great or not so great that your year was, please remember to be grateful that you lived through it all! You are still here, you can still love and be loved, and you still have hope that tomorrow will bring your greatest days yet.
Sometimes we forget what we are grateful for, and when we are asked about it, we very quickly answer with the beautiful things around us like our family, friends, our home, or even just the food on our table. These definitely are all great things, and being grateful for them is right, but we need to be grateful for something a little closer to home sometimes… like ourselves!
Be grateful that you are alive, be grateful that you make yourself proud, be grateful that you never gave up on yourself, and be grateful that you have another chance at making the next year your best ever! Grateful is our mindset, and because of it, we are always grateful for the things that we have, big or small, but we need to start being grateful for ourselves also.
I have been thinking about 2021 a lot the last few weeks, and one thing that keeps coming to my mind is how grateful I am for each and every one of you that are reading this message today. You have inspired me, or you have allowed me to serve you throughout the year, which is very important to me. I can never really express my gratitude correctly to all of you, but I want you to know that I am very grateful for you!
I have also been thinking about 2022 a lot lately, and I am grateful that I will be here and have a chance to make it my best year ever! To me, making it my best year ever will include serving and helping more people than I ever have before. I am not sure what it would take for you to have your best year ever, but I am grateful that you will have a chance to make that happen.
It’s hard to believe 2021 is almost over, but it is. 2022 will start, and we will be busy with our day-to-day routines, and before you know it, we will be saying the same thing again… I can’t believe the year is already over.
I’ll leave you with this message that my dad told me frequently when I was a young kid, and I never understood it. Now that I am in my 40s, I do. He would always say to me: “Son, when you get older, you will notice that the days take forever, but the years fly by.”
When I think about that statement, I realize that he was wrong about half of it in my case, but I know he worked long, hard days doing something he did not enjoy, so I get it.
Now, as for me, my days don’t seem like they take forever, they are filled with peace, joy, and happiness most of the time, and I am always surprised how quickly they end. But the second half of the statement is definitely true. The older I get, it does seem the years truly do fly by!
One thing that is guaranteed in our life is death. We will not escape it, and eventually, it will come, and when it does, I hope and pray that you have no regrets and you were grateful for every single day that you were alive.
May God continue to bless you, and may your new year be filled with blessings big and small. Please make sure your mindset remains grateful so your life can remain great!
Thank you for reading, and thank you for being part of the TLC family. Cheers to the new year!
