Do you ever find yourself grumbling and complaining? There is a lot in life that causes us to feel this way. We complain about so many things every day without even realizing it! Do you find yourself complaining about:
- Weather – it’s too hot, too cold, too much rain, too much snow
- Driving – there’s too much traffic, I can’t believe he cut me off
- Money – I don’t have enough, prices are too high
- Work – I’m stressed out, I don’t get paid enough, my boss is a micromanager
- Health – I’m so tired, I can’t lose weight, why can’t I eat what I want
- Relationships – my kids won’t listen, my spouse won’t….(fill in the blank), my roommate is messy
- Customer service – the lines are too long, I can’t get a live person on the phone
I’m laughing as I type this because I’ve experienced a few of those recently! Yes, life is messy but there are so many things that we have to be grateful for. It’s important for us to learn how to shift the focus from grumbling and complaining to thankfulness. This requires us to change our perspective and find some joy. I know that’s easier said than done but it’s possible. My biggest complaint used to be sitting in traffic. It was awful and I’d find myself getting so upset about it. I got tired of complaining and thought about how I could use the time in traffic. I decided that I would either call family or friends to catch up or play some upbeat Gospel music, and sing to the top of my lungs. I got some funny looks and smiles as I moved and sang along with the music! But I was able to shift my perspective. I was no longer focusing on the traffic but on relationships and music, which brought me lots of joy.
The Bible tells is in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;…” This means instead of complaining and being grumpy, we can find something to be thankful for no matter what is going on around us. Yes, that means even when the kids are fighting, we get to be thankful. Even when we look in the mirror and see wrinkles, we get to be thankful. The key is to learn to change our perspective. Yes the kids are fighting but we can be thankful God blessed us with them. Yes, we might have some wrinkles, but we can be thankful they aren’t any worse! The key is to learn to develop a habit of thankfulness.
Thanksgiving season is traditionally a time when we focus on what we’re grateful for. But even more important, thanksgiving is also a way we express our gratitude to God. For many years I kept a gratitude journal where I would write down three things I was grateful for each day. No matter how challenging and hard life would get, I realized that in the midst of the difficulty I had so many things to thank God for. And my gratitude went beyond the usual things like family, friends, health, my job etc. I have learned that there is a “silver lining” in all that we go through. I believe that we can be grateful for the hard times, and what we learn from them.
I love this quote from Maya Angelou, “Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.” What a great way to develop a habit of thankfulness. Imagine if we went to bed every night, thanking God for something that happened that day? And what if we woke up in the morning thanking God for something we have to look forward to? And what if we stopped in the midst of the thing we’re complaining about, and gave thanks for something instead? So right now, I’m choosing not to complain about the gloomy, rainy weather but instead focus on how thankful I am for the joy it brings me to coach, support and encourage women leaders like you!
What are you going to do today to develop a habit of thankfulness?
