It’s Sunday night and I’m back at my apartment following a 5 day Thanksgiving vacation back home with my family. The next writing prompt goes over what I believe people around me thank me for. To go with the holiday spirit, I’d also like to write about what I myself am thankful for.
Note: This post may be very brief and not as thought out as my previous two posts. The point here is to simply create and put something online and to be okay with that. I’d like to remove any potential barriers and excuses I may tell myself that will prevent me from building a great writing habit.
What People Thank Me For
One of the things I feel people appreciate and thank me for is my ability to listen and empathize. Whether it’s family, friends, coworkers, or strangers, I try to make it a point to understand where someone is coming from and to appreciate the moment and experience we are having. This allows me to be actively engaged and to identify parts of my life that are similar to what a person is sharing. This tends to then lead to more in-depth conversations allowing for further understanding of both our differences and similarities. This ability grants me the opportunity to build positive relationships based on fun, empathy, and the sharing of wisdom/advice.
My positivity and humor is another characteristic that people enjoy and appreciate. Overall, I tend to be in a positive mood when interacting with the world. Whether it’s joking around or seeing the bright side of something, people generally will expect a positive source of energy when I’m around. I take pride in this because for all the perceived negativity in the world, it feels good to know that the people in my life can count on me to be a source of positivity. (As I’m writing this, I’m noting to myself that my ability to be warm and happy to the external world can and should be used internally when needed.)
Another thing I’d like to add is a quality/trait that I don’t hear too often from others which is the pride/inspiration some feel when they see my life from their perspective. What I mean by this is that from an external standpoint, I have had people mention that they are proud or inspired by me because I seem “to have things figured out.” This usually comes from people’s perception of my surface-level life situation (good job/income, independent, young, intelligent, not tied down by any serious situations) or when I share ideas and advice that may come across as “wise beyond my years.” I want to note this not because I hear this often (I don’t – at least not directly) or because I feel my life is awesome and inspiring (I definitely don’t – although I might benefit from appreciating my self more often). I’m noting this because this serves as a reminder of what effect I can have on others by making myself as strong as I can be. While on the surface people may see how I live, act, and behave as a source of pride and inspiration, this effect could be exponentially more powerful if I continue to grow and improve my internal world. By continuing on this journey of self-development and actualization, and holding myself accountable towards taking action and improving at a good pace, I can design a great life and be the person I want to be. Doing so will give people around me, especially the ones I’m close with, genuine inspiration that won’t just be a surface-level perception unaligned with my internal world. Instead it will be a authentic source that people can see, hear, and feel because I am truly aligned and happy with my being and I want to share that with others.
What I think this all ladders up to is connection (which is one of my core values) – embracing people, moments, and experiences in the world with open arms, and a genuine desire to understand and appreciate them.
What I Am Thankful For
On the flip side, I can list many things that I am thankful for in my life. While I admit I don’t always have a sense of gratitude and appreciation top of mind, I have worked on improving this mindset no matter the situation I am in. A few things I’m thankful for include:
- My friends and family
- My upbringing and environment
- My mind and body
I mentioned above some things people thank me for, but this appreciation goes both ways. I am fortunate to have been surrounded by people who care for me and want to see me do well in life – and I was reminded of this by being with my friends and family over the holiday. Everything from my friends, family, environment, and upbringing have been conducive to where I am today and my ability to move forward in a positive direction. My mind and body being generally healthy is also worth being thankful for because it is easy to take things for granted when you don’t really know what it’s like to not have it. Sure, I’ve had my share of negative past experiences, adversity, and regrets, but when it comes to the bigger picture I have a lot of great things to be thankful for (I almost feel a little upset that I haven’t been aware in expressing my thanks enough to others, but the point of this is to be happy and to keep this in mind moving forward 🙂 ).
I think a common thread between these things is that I have been given the luxury of opportunity. I haven’t had extreme traumas, burdens, or obstacles that couldn’t be overcome. While I’ve thought that an unintentional consequence of having a positive, comfortable upbringing and situation is that it has led me to being complacent and weaker in certain areas (self-discipline and drive as examples), I should actually view this in another light. I should see this as a blessing and motivation to do great things for myself and others. No one should be at fault for being kind and caring towards me, nor should it be a crutch that I have a comfortable living situation without severe adversities holding me down.
In fact, I should be grateful that I am writing this post and talking about the good in my life. What a luxury it is to have my problems! To not have to worry about: food, illness, money, supporting a family, or losing a loved one and instead worry about: my life purpose, dream career, and passions (HA! It’s hilariously pathetic in a way). What a luxury indeed. This is all the more reason why I should be grateful and happy with where I am now and motivated towards taking right action. I owe it to not just myself but to everyone around me that has given me this opportunity. I’m in a much better position than most to be the best version of myself and if somehow I feel that I’m at a disadvantage because of my great upbringing (as I have sometimes thought to myself) then it is on me to view it in a proactive way and do whatever is necessary to grow and be strong.
Life is good. People thank me for being who I am, and I am thankful for everyone and everything that made it possible. One of the best gifts I can give to express my gratitude is to take full advantage of the opportunities in front of me and to be happy and appreciative to others while doing it.
Until next time,
-Matt