Blog
Grateful
Thanksgiving. A holiday in the United States that comes around on an annual basis. Interestingly enough, never the same date, but always in the same season. And, a holiday that the commercial world has taken full advantage of, not only regarding things to adorn our tables with during Thanksgiving Day, but also the much revered “Black Friday” that follows. Regardless of what you celebrate, whether it be the meals, the football, the time with others (challenged, of course, this year with COVID-19), or the day following, there is one thing we can agree upon - Thanksgiving is about being grateful.
Grateful. A word which causes us to think about what and who we appreciate. Words such as obliged, gratified, satisfied, pleased, and thankful come to mind. Many people, when they consider what they are grateful for, think back to the past to the things and experiences that have framed and created who we are - life lessons, experiences, highs, and lows that we can now appreciate. If you take time to pause and think deeply, often even those moments of sorrow, distress, disappointment, and even casual failure can be looked at in retrospect as something to be grateful for. We may not have been grateful when it was occurring, but we are now thankful for having had the experience. There is a clever cliché that comes to mind “no pressure-no diamonds“. Grateful is not just a casual word but one filled with strong and relevant emotions.
As a child, the things you were grateful for were cemented by the limited world around you. Parents, family members, teachers and coaches, influential adults; all were people we could be grateful for. As we age and have more experiences, our opportunity for gratefulness expands to not taking anything for granted and to not miss any moment. As we have all learned this last year, nothing is for sure and nothing is guaranteed.
What are you grateful for? It is a question for the individual, aimed at the individual, and created by the individual. It is in your mind, but it is also, quite certainly, in your heart. No one else has your point of view. No one else has your vantage point or perspective. The grateful parts of your world are truly just yours - just for you and just from you.
At this time, we at Lori Stohs Consulting are grateful. We are not only grateful for the organizations we have the pleasure and privilege to work with, but more specifically and more meaningfully, we are grateful for the individual relationships you have entrusted us with. We consider it a privilege to be with you and in service for you and through you. We do not take it for granted, and at this time, we encourage all of you to take a moment to pause and consider deeply what you are grateful for.
Simply stated, we ask all of you to “live large” and fill your days with an “attitude of gratitude“.
Our best wishes to all of you!