PUTTING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE
Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
Charles Dickens
There’s another valuable lesson that we can learn from Pedro – and that’s the importance of keeping things in perspective.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that complainers lack perspective – they tend to blow their problems way out of proportion.
Optimistic people… people with great attitudes… tend to have a sense of what’s truly important in life.
The dictionary defines perspective as “the capacity to view things in their true relation or relative importance.”
Think about the people you know. Do you have any friends who get bent out of shape because they got a flat tire? And how about those who sever ties with close family members because of a dispute over the seating arrangements at a wedding? It’s clear these folks have lost sight of the “relative importance” of things! I think we can all learn from Eddie Rickenbacker, who drifted in a life raft for 21 days, hopelessly lost in the Pacific. After surviving the ordeal, Rickenbacker said, “If you have all the fresh water you want to drink and all the food you want to eat, you ought never complain about anything.”
Let me share with you some of the things I’m grateful for:
1. I’m in good health.
2. Dolores is in good health.
3. We have our own home.
4. We have plenty of food to eat and clean water to drink.
5. We live in the United States and enjoy freedom.
6. I love my work.
7. I get to travel and meet fascinating people.
8. I have many loyal friends.
9. I draw strength from my relationship with God.
This is just a partial list of the blessings in my life. And you know what? Even with all of these wonderful things, there are times when I start to take some of them for granted! But I’ve learned to quickly re-connect with these blessings…and it boosts my attitude and brings me right back on course.
So, what is it that you’ve been complaining about lately? Are they really “life and death” matters? The next time you’re tempted to gripe about your problems, pick up a pen and piece of paper and start listing all the reasons you have to be grateful!
Let me tell you, it sure beats complaining!
