Victoria KimbleAmericans often think the key to success is simply digging deep and doing the work. Do whatever it takes. Work harder, you’ll get ahead. If you aren’t where you want to be, you aren’t working hard enough.
This message can be so discouraging at times. What if you are working as hard as you know how? Or what if you are working as hard as time allows, because you have other responsibilities? Are you doomed? Should you just quit?
Of course not, friend. I want to let you know that you are not alone in feeling discouraged at times. We’ve all gotten really good at hiding it, but I would guess that many of the people in your life feel the same way you do at the exact same time you do. And they’re probably looking at you thinking you have it all together, and they’re too nervous to bring it up, so they hide it deeper.
Today, I’d like to present a technique that just might bring you out of a slump: thankfulness. This is a good week for it, right? I often find that focusing on the good and consciously declaring thanks for it is like a cool glass of water when I’m dry and thirsty. Once I feel refreshed, I’m able to take another step toward whatever goal I’m working on.
In One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp points to the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Before He performed that huge miracle, He stopped and gave thanks to God. Her point was that thanksgiving is what preceded the miracle.
Sometimes getting over the hump of whatever is blocking us can feel like it will only happen by a miracle. So give thanks for it. Your thanksgiving may precede your miracle too. And even if the miracle doesn’t happen, I can almost guarantee you’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle your goals with renewed energy.
Happy Thanksgiving week, friends!
What are you thankful for this week?
Julia N. White
Gretchen Carlson
Kristen Gwen
Great post. This is the same thing my pastor was talking about yesterday. I am trying to focus on being thankful instead of worried.
I took Ann Voskamp’s challenge years ago to create a gratitude list. Her initial challenge was to reach 1,000. This year when I reached 10,000, I started over again. YES – gratitude refreshes.
I am thankful for this post. It’s so easy to fall into the grumbling trap. It takes effort and discipline to be thankful — which seems weird when we consider all that we have to be thankful for. Thank you for the reminder. “Give thanks with a grateful heart.”