May has to be one of my favorite months. In addition to the many flowers that come into bloom. May is the home of Mother’s Day and my wedding anniversary. I find myself feeling pretty grateful during the month of May. And this leads me to the spectacular marriage of service and gratitude. Rarely do two things bring out the best in each other so well. This May, let’s make gratitude the center of attention because time spent on gratitude will surely inspire service.
Gratitude married to service
The practice of gratitude focuses on being thankful but it also introduces your heart to the concept of “enough”. Most of our lives we’ve strived to have “more” so “enough” is a somewhat foreign notion.
Take a look at the lines below and pay attention to how you feel about the “More” line versus the “Enough” line.
More money. More beauty. More power. More things. More time.
Enough money. Enough beauty. Enough power. Enough things. Enough time.
- Which one is most comfortable for you to read?
- Which one most reflects your current thinking?
- Do you have enough of some, but want more of others?
Practicing gratitude allows you to take a step back and appreciate what you already have. It also allows the concept of “having enough” and “being enough” to take root in your life. This makes you likely to serve others for two reasons. First, you feel a sense of duty to bless others when you are more aware of your blessings. Second, you have more to give emotionally (and physically) when you aren’t exhausted from chasing more accumulation. When your heart and hands are free you’ll want to use them to serve. Gratitude helps free you.
Welcome May. You’re another wonderful month for serving. And a great time for gratitude to bloom.