Being Point

Tag: gratitude

  • Cultivating “Getting To” Is Feeling Grateful

    “Getting to” is a way of looking at the world in a way that removes all feeling of victimhood. The more one “gets to” do something, the more one appreciates that everything in life is an opportunity. A situation can be difficult, tragic, inconvenient and horrible – but among the ways to look at it is with appreciation.

    A wonderful long-time friend and Coaching for Results(R) alumnus writes from Colorado:

    “What you are referring to (“get-to”) is actually living a life of gratitude. I do this every day….I have been thru so much that this is the ultimate outcome… daily gratitude. It is one of the highest emotions we can experience… and is also self- perpetuating.”

    How was your experiment of going through the day and viewing everything as a “get-to”? Did you notice anything different? Did you feel better? Worse? The same? Did the exercise feel contrived or false? Or did it feel useful and fun?

  • The Three Levels of “Get-To”

    Today, let’s explore the things you “get” to do. Usually, these activities are fun, free from work, and done with friends or family. “Get to” implies pleasure, opportunity, privilege or something you don’t want to miss.

    Getting to travel, exploring a new place, trying a new restaurant, getting to know people in a deep way, spending quality time with your children, throwing a ball with your dog . . . all these are examples of “get to.”

    There’s a next level of “get to” which is about doing things that on their faces would not “normally” be “fun,” but in a particular context, they are fun. For example, working in a soup kitchen, cleaning up after a charitable event, spending time working on a school or church project . . . or, the classic: helping a friend move. “Getting to” be of service and being helpful to someone or something can feel great.

    On perhaps the highest level – a level that we can often forget – is that we “get to” live. We get to have a life – with all that that implies. More on that later this week.

    What are your favorite “get-to’s”? Think about the three levels above. It’s astounding what we “get to” do; isn’t it? Please share your “get-to’s” with us!

  • The Impact of Others On Our Freedom

    Next Monday is Memorial Day in the U.S., a day when we honor fallen warriors who have made our freedom possible. It’s easy to make it just another day on the calendar. Yet, if we simply pause and think about the impact of those lives on our own, we can quickly appreciate the direct and daily benefit that we receive from them.

    Others impact our freedom; and we impact theirs. We can cultivate our honor and integrity to memorialize anyone who lived and died so that our freedom can be enjoyed.

    Have you ever known anyone who impacted your freedom in a positive way? Have you ever diminished the freedom of another? Is it possible to move beyond what we call a “holiday” to a place of profound gratitude for all who value freedom so much that they are willing to die for it?