By Virginia Mburu
To Now…It’s the usual Monday morning
traffic jams….He is driving to work while thinking how he can make use of those
success clues.
He tunes in to his favorite radio station and a
voice over rings out - “Do you have a your personal gratitude account? How
healthy is the account? Does its state make you happier or…..? Inject more
deposits into this account and experience more positive emotions, better health
& relationships……”
It is like someone somewhere is trying to
aggressively drive a message across.
Was it not just yesterday that this gratitude
issue was a subject of discussion through a case study based on Mark 14: 3-9?
As usual he makes a mental review of the major take-aways he had noted in his
notebook as under;
Step 1.....Actively look around and note
the goodness around you
Take a break from busyness and myriad
responsibilities and smell the roses. It costs you just your “involved
self” and some time to note goodness in or from people, books,
music, art, literature, daily life, history etc.
Sometimes the goodness hits you like a
grenade. The woman in the story is Mary, the sister of Lazarus- the one who was
raised from the dead a few days earlier. Can this kind of goodness be
ignored?
Step 2.....Learn to be a good receiver of
goodness
Raise your awareness levels and you will even
notice the small ways that people show kindness toward you. Many of us
are subscribers of the philosophy that it is better to give than receive.
Time we also wore the other shoe…unconditionally
soak in the kindness and savour the positive feelings without giving excuses,
being dismissive, evading the compliment or even looking away. If you happen to
react as mentioned, check into your belief system.
You may possibly believe you are not worthy of……
Mary recognized this mega goodness and made a mental note that she would…..
Step 3... Express gratitude for this
goodness
Once we have noted the goodness, allow the
positive feelings to grow and savour the goodness. We can now express our
gratitude more deeply.
Whereas a “thank you” would previously
suffice, now we add a “hearty eye to eye” smile, an “excited” exclamation
or a “spontaneous” jig! The giver sees/ feels our gratitude and
shares in our positivity- A mutually rewarding relationship no doubt.
Mary expressed herself in a most unusual
manner- an unusual gift. She knew that it was important to……
Step 4.....Choose your gifts- wisely
The gift may be a product or a service. You may
decide to buy or create the gift personally. Either way, please consider;
- The message the gift passes…..the receivers value to you, a work of sacrifice given straight from the heart. Mary’s gift was most unusual gift anointing with a whole pint of expensive pure nard perfume. John 12:4 says it was worth a year’s wages! Can you beat that? Note that Jesus remarks- “She did what she could”
- Make it valuable and personal…..Something the receiver will highly appreciate, personally use and if possible something they will not think of buying or cannot buy like your companionship. The whole pint of pure nard perfume was poured on Jesus’ head and feet
- Make it memorable and impactful.....The fragrance of the perfume permeated the room, attracts everyone’s attention plus the supposed extravagance is registered. This is certainly an exceptional experience…
- While at it, make the packaging great… Yea.. make it an alabaster (an almost transparent white stone often used for making decorative objects) jar!
- The timing better be right…Mary may not have known it but Jesus made it clear what anointing symbolized “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial”
Step 5..... Understand that your
definition of appreciation may not be similar to the receiver.
What if they did not smile back or are flat out
indifferent? They may not respond as expected but they are just different
though they still may be truly grateful.
In our story, Jesus did appreciate the gift and
says that “she has done a beautiful thing to me”
Step 6....Acknowledge negativity and
respond with genuine appreciation and thanks
Wow… Were not some of those present indignant at
this gesture? Possibly out of jealousy! Listen to what they said and compare to
the response from Jesus. "Why this waste of perfume? It
could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the
poor." And they rebuked her harshly.” "Leave her
alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a
beautiful thing to me”. The poor you will always have with you, and
you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did
what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my
burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the
world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
Step 7......Make “gratitude” a lifestyle
While reviewing your day, make it a point to
write 5 things you're grateful for every day.
Make gratitude part of your social
conversations.
Always find something to be grateful about be it
in a person, things or circumstances. E.g. You may be grateful for the
lessons you are deriving from a book you are reading, the author, the
publisher, the distributors, the growers of paper used in manufacturing the
book etc.
Step 8.....When giving as a business or
an organization or as a group
Make sure the gift/ donation is in line with
your strategic vision, mission and values
Have a clear understanding of the outcomes and
impact of the donation and ensure they are aligned to your goals
Thoroughly vet the recipients capability to
deliver the outcomes
Have systems that ensure you are up to date on
the progress (time, scope, resource) of supported projects
Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur;
How have you inculcated gratitude in
your personal and business life?
What other experiences have you
noted that would be applicable in your life/business?
Share your experiences, suggestions or questions
in the comments section below.
Whatever you do, make sure it results in
less work, more money and positive impact.
Update
Virginia Mburu
Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach
Virginia empowers and motivates Passionate
Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She then assists the
entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and marketing
strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make more money
and positively impact within one year. Access some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons on
biasharacoach.blogspot.co.ke
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