Practicing Gratitude

Gratitude make sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie

by Skip Cohen

​It's Sunday, and if you follow me regularly, then you know there's no chance you're about to read anything about marketing or business. This is my day to let my head and heart go any place I want, and rarely does what I write have anything to do with work directly.

Last week Sheila and I were reading Melody Beattie; she talked about a "gratitude box." Well, we decided to take this beautifully carved box we have and fill it with messages about things we're grateful for. Well, that got me thinking about my life these days, the mess in the world around us; and the smile I wake up with every morning. And while they don't always seem to go together, I started thinking about the tradition of going around the table at Thanksgiving and talking about the things that make us thankful.

Now, go one step further - why do so many people only do it at Thanksgiving? No matter how bizarre you may think your life is - there's ALWAYS something to be grateful about. From big things to little - there's so much we take for granted. I'll admit, aging has an impact on my view of life. But, with age does come a certain level of wisdom, simply out of the experiences we've had for what works and what doesn't.

The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.
Frank Lloyd Wright

So, go back up top and read Melody Beattie's quote one more time. Take a look in your rearview mirror, then look where you are right now, finish with looking forward and cherish where you're headed. And if the path you've chosen isn't feeling right, look at why and then change it. Nothing we do or choose has to be forever.

And when it comes to what I'm grateful for - it starts with Sheila and the pups, our family, my health our friends and comes full circle to all of you in an industry I stumbled into so many years ago. What an incredible ride it continues to be!

Wishing everybody a holiday weekend (if you're in the US) filled with gratitude that outshines your frustrations and challenges. You know how to work with selective focus on your camera - well, now is a great time to view the problems in your life outside depth of field and let your optimism and appreciation genes go crazy!

​Happy Labor Day Weekend!