-John F. Kennedy
Irony so thick, you could cut it with a 6-iron
One year ago the door opened on the Tiger Woods saga. Quicker than you can drive an SUV into a tree in your front yard, the world’s greatest golfer turned into the world’s greatest punching bag.
He isn’t the first high-profile expose’ we’ve ever seen and won’t be the last. But the fact that his issues started on a holiday marked for gratitude makes him applicable today.
In March I wrote a post outlining my take on Tiger’s problem and what I felt his mindset was missing. You can see it here. It was my opinion then and now that he lacked gratitude. Not a judgment, just an observation.
No one is immune from a sense of entitlement, but it is more obvious in celebrities. They are surrounded by people that tell them how great they are and what the world owes them. Instead of cherishing everything they have, it becomes fashionable to take it for granted.
Those of us outside of the spotlight look at examples like Tiger and call them "spoiled" or "unappreciative." We’re very quick to point out how they’ve screwed up and wonder aloud, "what kind of person could do something like that?" As if we are completely removed from the world he lives in.
We aren’t.
In most cases, the only difference between celebrity falls and our own lives is the magnification of press and money. The root causes are the same. So today, I invite you to do two things with me.
- Give more than the obligatory head nod to what you are grateful for. Consider for a moment, "do my daily actions reflect what I’m giving thanks for? Would the people around me know what I’m grateful for just by watching me?"
- Work the practice of gratitude into your daily life by journaling. Go to the store if you have to and get a notebook. At the end of every day, block out 15 minutes and write about your thoughts and actions that day. Start every entry with at least three things you showed gratitude for with your actions today. It will change your life.
I’m the first to admit how poorly I’ve shown my gratitude in the past. It’s taken a trip to the bottom to shake me out of my lethargy before. You don’t have to go to the bottom in order to have and benefit from gratitude.
Finally, I’m extremely grateful for you. Your willingness to allow me into a space of your life is what allows me to live the life that I do. Please accept my thanks for giving me a piece of your time and access to your heart. It means the world to me.
God bless you and yours.
PJ
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