Be careful what you look for, because you just might find it!
Our Freedom Strength sessions all finish in the same way. We complete each session by discussing just one thing (OK sometimes there are two or three) that we are grateful for. This moment of reflection and discussion is a very positive way to complete each training session. Knowing that I am going to ask what they are grateful for that day, often compels our members to give thought to the things in their lives that they are grateful for.
Late last week, during this discussion at the end of a particularly challenging training session, one of our members mentioned that she was grateful for the sanitation workers who stopped at her house that morning. We have been asking this same question for more than 5 years now, and I have to admit, this was a response that I had not heard before...
Before anyone could even ask her why she was grateful for them, she told us the story. That morning, she heard the truck drive by her home, and realized that she had forgotten to take the garbage can to the curb last night. She ran outside, dragging the can behind her. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen, but to her surprise the driver put the truck in reverse and came from the end of her street back to her home to get her garbage.
Did he need to do that? Absolutely not. But did this Freedom Strength member appreciate the fact that he had gone out of his way to do something nice that made her life much easier? Absolutely!
She noted that she immediately called the office to tell them the story. She made a mental note to make a batch of cookies for the crew, that she would give them next week. And probably the most important thing, their holiday "bonus" from her family, this year, would be significantly higher than it had been in the past.
The one seemingly small act of kindness from the driver of the truck, prompted her to return three additional acts of kindness upon the crew.
Why am I telling you this story? Far too often we look for and find things to complain about, rather than looking for things that people do that we can praise them for doing. If we spend more time looking for these positive things in our lives, we will notice more positive things, however, if you are constantly looking for the things that are going wrong, all that you will see are the things that you want to complain about.
Whatever you are looking for, that is what you will find.
