Things we learn from Oprah
My parents bought be a book called Smart Women Finish Rich to try and help me as I navigate the adult world of business and finance. I think they figured that I won't listen to their advice (which I do, for the most part), but I would have to listen to a book, right? Eh, I guess.
So, problematic title aside (not all smart women want to be rich or have that as an end goal, etc.), I flipped through the book, curious what it could offer me. While I would actually recommend it to my fellow early twenty-somethings (male and female alike), one thing in particular stuck out to me. The last chapter sort of wraps everything up with the "12 Commandments." The last commandment is, "Be grateful." The idea of gratitude is something I have been trying to keep in the forefront of my mind lately. Especially in difficult times and times of uncertainty and anxiety, it is easy to get caught up in the "why me?" frame of mind. "Why are people mean to me?" "Why is my dad sick?" "Why can't I see my boyfriend whenever I want?" Blah, blah blah. Smart Women author, David Bach, takes a note from Oprah and suggests listing 50 things you are grateful for, share the list with people who are undoubtedly on it, and revisit it whenever you feel low or weak. Sadly, I can't think of 50 things off the top of my head, so I will start with 10 and add to it as I think of other things. Here we go:
I am grateful for...
1. Having a loving family who is supportive of whatever I want to do.
2. Having a small but incredibly close knit group of friends that I can count on, no matter what.
3. Having a wonderful relationship with someone I admire and who cares about me.
4. Being fortunate enough to not have to struggle financially. At least not significantly.
5. Being fortunate enough to live in a country where I don't have to worry about worshipping the way I want, voting the way I want, or live in fear of violence every time I leave my house.
6. Having basic comforts like food, clothing, and a house, which is more than many, many people have.
7. Not only have the basics, but also being blessed to be able to treat myself to a nice meal, new toy (book, CD, DVD), or new clothes every once in a while.
8. Having a car that is reliable and gets me from my house to work to Bakersfield to see some of the aforementioned family and friends.
9. Living in a day and age where things like cancer are no longer necessarily a death sentence.
10. Living in a society that is trying to understand mental illness and are coming up with new ways to treat it everyday.
This is just the beginning of my list, and I hope to add to it more over the next few posts, though I realize that even having 10 things to be grateful for is a profound blessing. Anyhoo, that is enough gushing for now.
My computer is legally dead, so it might be a while before I can update again. But, next time I will update about my current job situation (unemployed, but hopeful) and Valentine's Day (a wonderful disaster).
I hope everyone is having a great week.
~J
So, problematic title aside (not all smart women want to be rich or have that as an end goal, etc.), I flipped through the book, curious what it could offer me. While I would actually recommend it to my fellow early twenty-somethings (male and female alike), one thing in particular stuck out to me. The last chapter sort of wraps everything up with the "12 Commandments." The last commandment is, "Be grateful." The idea of gratitude is something I have been trying to keep in the forefront of my mind lately. Especially in difficult times and times of uncertainty and anxiety, it is easy to get caught up in the "why me?" frame of mind. "Why are people mean to me?" "Why is my dad sick?" "Why can't I see my boyfriend whenever I want?" Blah, blah blah. Smart Women author, David Bach, takes a note from Oprah and suggests listing 50 things you are grateful for, share the list with people who are undoubtedly on it, and revisit it whenever you feel low or weak. Sadly, I can't think of 50 things off the top of my head, so I will start with 10 and add to it as I think of other things. Here we go:
I am grateful for...
1. Having a loving family who is supportive of whatever I want to do.
2. Having a small but incredibly close knit group of friends that I can count on, no matter what.
3. Having a wonderful relationship with someone I admire and who cares about me.
4. Being fortunate enough to not have to struggle financially. At least not significantly.
5. Being fortunate enough to live in a country where I don't have to worry about worshipping the way I want, voting the way I want, or live in fear of violence every time I leave my house.
6. Having basic comforts like food, clothing, and a house, which is more than many, many people have.
7. Not only have the basics, but also being blessed to be able to treat myself to a nice meal, new toy (book, CD, DVD), or new clothes every once in a while.
8. Having a car that is reliable and gets me from my house to work to Bakersfield to see some of the aforementioned family and friends.
9. Living in a day and age where things like cancer are no longer necessarily a death sentence.
10. Living in a society that is trying to understand mental illness and are coming up with new ways to treat it everyday.
This is just the beginning of my list, and I hope to add to it more over the next few posts, though I realize that even having 10 things to be grateful for is a profound blessing. Anyhoo, that is enough gushing for now.
My computer is legally dead, so it might be a while before I can update again. But, next time I will update about my current job situation (unemployed, but hopeful) and Valentine's Day (a wonderful disaster).
I hope everyone is having a great week.
~J
Labels: gratitude
posted by Jess @ 2:34 PM
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