But It Did Not Happen!

Nuggets For The Noggin
But It Did Not Happen!
Article By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, May 19, 2010

My job is to provide you with food for thought. Your job is to read what I have written and give it some thought. If you finish your job before I finish my job then my job will have been a failure. If on the other hand I finish my job before you finish your job, wella – success!

Remember The Gratitude Stone as discussed in the book/movie The Secret? It is a stone that when carried is a constant reminder to be grateful for all that enters your life. You see it first thing in the morning when you awake, you give thanks. You feel it in your pocket all during the day, you give thanks. And then when you retire at night and remove the stone from your pocket, you again give thanks for all that is good in your life.

This past weekend Dr. Argile Smith of the First Baptist Church in Biloxi, Mississippi gave the keynote address to the graduating class at William Carey University. He had a slightly different take on the art of being grateful. Dr. Smith suggested that in addition to being grateful for the good things in our life we should also be grateful for that which did NOT happen. It was a very thought provoking presentation.

For example:

Hurricane Katrina was devastating to be certain but have we considered giving thanks or being grateful for what did NOT happen? Our office building was virtually untouched thus providing each of us a place to move on with our business and help the people of our area with their housing needs.

We all saw the devastation and even death but did we give thanks for not being among those that perished?

Our company was shut down for a month; that was bad. But were we grateful when the bad times did not extend into month after month? In fact were not the months following Katrina some of the best sales months of all times?

When you close the sale from hell and you say good bye to the customers from hell do you give thanks for the opportunity to demonstrate how good you really are, the lessons you learned and all the bad things that did NOT happen? After all, they did not kill you, right?

When you close a sale, do you give thanks to what did NOT happen, like an appraisal that did not come in low?

Like a termite inspection that did NOT find termites?

Like a title search that did NOT find title problems?

Like a home inspection that did NOT find serious problems?

Like a personal check that did NOT bounce?

Today there was a car parked in the company parking lot. On the back window in very large letters it read, “So & So Appliance Sucks!” Obviously I changed the name to protect the innocent. I dare say that no matter how professional and no matter how well you conducted your business, there are incidents that you would rather forget. So while you are being grateful for all the good that enters your life, be grateful that an unhappy customer did NOT feel the urge to put your name on the back of their car indicating that your service sucks! After all, things could be worse!

It has been said that the mind cannot think of two things at one time. I don’t necessarily agree with that because I can certainly think of a Blue Bell Hot Fudge Sunday at the same time I am thinking of the whipped cream on top. Just kidding; actually no I’m not. Certainly it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to think of two opposing thoughts at the same time. As Dr. Smith suggested, being grateful IS the Secret. If you are forever being grateful it is hard to be ungrateful. Given the choice why would you want to be ungrateful? The same is true about being always positive or always negative or somewhere in between not being able to make up your mind. Dr. Smith asked the question, when you are being grateful (or ungrateful) who are you being grateful (or ungrateful) to? Only you can answer that question but I think we all know the answer except for possibly you-know-who if you-know-who is reading this.

So here’s the deal. Professional golfers use what they refer to as a trigger that they use to get into the zone. What is the zone? They understand that it is impossible to focus 100% of their concentration 100% of the time. Therefore professional golfers will not focus on their next shot until it is time to do so. They will adjust the sleeve on their shirt, adjust the strap on their glove or some other physical activity to get their mind focused on what is at hand, hitting a good golf shot. In between shots they are better served NOT trying to think too much about the next shot. It is impossible to concentrate for four hours of a golf round but it IS possible and even probable that a professional golfer can give 100% focus for the next 60 or so seconds that it takes to strike the ball.

The Gratitude Stone is such a trigger. If not a stone, consider wearing one of the colorful rubber bracelets you see people wearing and then every time you see or feel the bracelet remind yourself to be grateful. Be grateful for all the good things in your life that DID happen and all the bad things that DID NOT happen. Worries, by the way, that a great many of us continually worried might happen. Those are the worries we seem to F.E.A.R. – False Expectations Appearing Real but rarely are.

Enter the Law of Attraction where we tend to attract into our life that which we think about most. As stated, it is impossible to think of two opposing thoughts at the same time. Therefore, stop thinking about the bad things that might happen and focus on all the good things that did happen including having Dr. Smith enter your life through this Nugget. Or thank my daughter Kelly for attending William Carey University Graduate School for had she not, I would not have heard Dr. Smith and neither would you. All things seem to happen for a reason and if my attending my daughter’s graduation ceremony is the cause of you thinking better thoughts, you are welcome!