The subtle art of being grateful is a mental muscle that, like everything else, takes much time and practice to really appreciate. I have been fortunate enough to grow up living with just the basic needs for survival. I was a person that grew up in third world poverty conditions. When my mother moved us to the United States back in the early 90’s we lived well below the poverty rate and she was a single mother of four boys. My mother early on taught me the meaning of work ethic and hustle. I saw a sense of determination, perseverance, and will to move forward. My mother was a magician at making something out nothing. She was able to make sufficient amounts of food for all of us despite the empty fridge. I thank God for every single struggling moment that we endured, for it has built my character today.
'What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."(Ecclesiastes 1:9). This is one of the passages that has impacted my life greatly. Through all the hustle and grind I am reminded that it doesn’t matter what I do I am always just imitating or implementing something that has already been done before. All the youtube videos, self-development courses, books, online seminars, are all tools that I use to increase my knowledge. This means that I don’t have to work hard at trying something new, there are plenty of people out there that have been successful bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, etc. I can learn from their online testimonials by simply following and engaging in their content.
Even if you were born into poverty like me you still have no excuse. You still have all your limbs, and if you don’t then at least you have your life. You were born a human, the most powerful species on the face of the earth. That is such a God-given miracle in and of itself, there are millions of abortions and miscarriages that occur on a yearly basis. Be thankful to be alive in this amazing historical time of humanity. Be grateful for your finances regardless of how horrible your fiscal situation may seem. The way that I battle familiarity and conformity is by practicing a constant state of gratitude. At the end of the day, if you are not fulfilled when you have a little, you will never be fulfilled when you have a lot. Learn to be content and grateful for what you have now. Tony Robbins said it best ‘success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure’
