You know the quote… “Count your blessings, not your troubles”.
Easier said than done. Easy for someone to sit there across a table at a local sushi restaurant and tell you rather than live it themselves and apply it to their life. But that’s just it… It is easier said than done, if it was easy they wouldn’t be sitting there telling you that you need to do it.
I recently read a story of a partially blind woman by Dale Carnegie (true story). She had one eye, and out of that one eye only partial eye sight. When she was a young child she wanted to participate with all of her school mates and pay hop scotch but she couldn’t see the lines on the pavement. So after all the other children had left she’d lay down and stare at the lines, following them and memorizing them. Eventually, out of memory she was able to play with her friends. At night she’d read books with large print holding them so close to her face her eye lashes would touch the pages. She worked so hard that she became a successful teacher, lecturer and public speaker. Eventually, in her 50’s, she received a surgery at the infamous mayo clinic and she could finally see. More than 40% better eye sight. The story ended with her talking about how much she cherishes doing the dishes. She holds the soap buds up in the air and gazes at the rainbow of colours in the reflection of light.
What’s the point of this story?
Imagine your life right now if you couldn’t walk… If you couldn’t speak. Maybe you couldn’t drive a car or hold your arms above your head for longer than a second. Or maybe, just maybe you couldn’t even see well enough to do the dishes.
Cherish everything.
In my opinion that doesn’t mean that you can’t be focused on your struggle, achieving a better life and bettering your situation. I am an advocate of adversity because I firmly believe the notion that amazing things come out of good people who face struggle. However, there is so much beauty around us every day in every single on of our actions that we sometimes forget how blessed we truly are.
Laugh more.
Smile more.
Work hard, but love more.
Count your blessings, not your troubles.