A step by step tool for top achievers

Step 3: Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
Count your blessings, not your troubles. Take time to smell the roses. It is not uncommon
to hear that someone, because of an accident or illness, became blind or paralyzed but
won a million dollars in settlement. How many of us would like to trade places with that
person? Not many. We are so focused on complaining about things we don't have that
we lose sight of the things we have. There is a lot to be thankful for.
When I say count your blessings, not your troubles, the message is not to become
complacent. If complacence was the message you got, then I would be guilty of faulty
communication and you of selective listening.
To give you an example of selective listening, let me share with you a story I heard about
a medical doctor who was invited as a guest speaker to address a group of alcoholics.
He wanted to make a demonstration that would be powerful enough to make people
realize that alcohol was injurious to their health. He had two containers, one with pure
distilled water and one with pure alcohol. He put an earthworm into the distilled water and
it swam beautifully and came up to the top. He put another earthworm into the alcohol
and it disintegrated in front of everyone's eyes. He wanted to prove that this was what
alcohol did to the insides of our body. He asked the group what the moral of the story
was and one person from behind said, "If you drink alcohol you won't have worms in your
stomach." Was that the message? Of course not. That was selective listening--we hear
what we want to hear and not what is being said.
Many of our blessings are hidden treasures--count your blessings and not your troubles.