*Everything* Contributes to Your Advancement

ByMatthew

Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. – Emerson

On the heels of yesterday’s post, let me ask:

What are you rejecting?

What do you wish hadn’t happened?

Or, what situation or circumstance do you wish were different?

Because, as Emerson so eloquently describes, everything that happens contributes to your advancement.

***

(What are you resisting, that is persisting?)

***

But wait!

You protest: “Emerson said ‘every good thing that comes to you,’ not everything.”

Actually, read closer (as I needed to initially… ) the first half of the second sentence clears it all up:

“And because all things have contributed to your advancement . . . ” [my emphasis]

Being grateful for everything that has happened doesn’t mean you want “bad” things to happen again, or regularly, only that by rejecting certain parts of your experience, you reject parts of who you are (i.e. the stuff that has helped “make” you).

Be grateful for it all – and learn from it all – but seek to repeat and strengthen the best stuff.

Similar Posts

  • A Master Key of Acievement

    ByMatthew

    In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. – Bill Cosby Why? Because you are going to “fail” along the way . . . . But, of course, there’s nothing wrong with failure. Failure is just a concept. It’s a word that we imbue with meaning, and…

  • The Actual Issue

    ByMatthew

    I am reading a great book by Ronald and Mary Hulnick, “Loyalty to Your Soul” and have to share something I read: “How we relate to an issue is the issue.” This is such a powerful idea. “Issues” are happening all the time. How we decide to interact with them makes all the difference. When we…

  • Well-Being and Money

    ByMatthew

    My well-being is independent of my bank account balance. My sense of what is possible for me is independent of my bank account balance. My willingness to do new things and learn is independent of my bank account balance.   I was inspired to write the above while reading a book written by one of…

  • Compete Against Yourself

    ByMatthew

    Recently, on my Facebook  Page I posted a quote from Steve Young (former professional (American) football player) that reminded us to compete against ourselves, to be better that we were before. I was reminded of that idea (and it’s great advice . . . ) when I read Seth Godin’s most recent blog post; here…

  • You Find What You Seek

    ByMatthew

    A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. – Francis Bacon Want some “truth?” Whatever you focus on comes to pass. Not necessarily exactly how you envision it (sometimes better… ), but usually close. In most every phase of life you can look at life’s events as see them as “problems” or “opportunities.”…