As a little girl, I learned that the opposite of love is
hate. While there is some truth in that, I have since come to understand that
the true opposite of love is selfishness. When we are caught up in our own
lives, trying to satisfy our own needs, and follow our own agendas, it is very
difficult to really love one another.
I think that the most effective way to overcome selfishness
is through gratitude. Gratitude awakens
our hearts to beauty and abundance. It reminds us that we are a part of
something bigger than us. When we stop taking our own lives for granted, we are
motivated to help others.
Being thankful is a conscious decision. It requires mindful
living, an ongoing awareness of the world around us. We can cultivate this by
choosing to count our blessings every day. Keeping a gratitude journal has been
very helpful for me. Writing it down helps me stay focused. Sharing gratitude
around the family dinner table is also great. Ask each family member to name
something they are thankful for from that particular day. We can learn a lot
about each other by counting our blessings together.
Start letting go of selfishness and start developing an
attitude of gratitude today!
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It
turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn
a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude
makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for
tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie
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