My high school English teacher always used to tell me (more scold me) to never start a paper with a quote. So today, I’d like to start my blog with a quote - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the famous theologian and staunch opponent of Fascism and National Socialism, once wrote:
“ It's a strange feeling to be so completely dependent on other people; but at least it teaches one to be grateful, and I hope I shall never forget that. In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. It’s very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe to others."
Ever since reading Bonhoeffer’s “Letters and Papers from Prison” I have been amazed and inspired by the spirit of graciousness and optimism he demonstrated in the face of extreme difficulty.
Gratitude is not a new topic on the pages of the eQ blogs, but I feel it’s pertinent to revisit something as simple, yet fundamentally crucial as gratitude. Expressing gratitude to the people who lend a helping hand in your development seems like a no-brainer, but it is often overlooked and definitely underrated. No matter how great your personal or professional achievements are, it’s always a shared effort with the people who support you and even encourage you along the way.
If you love movies like I do, then you know the Oscar’s are coming up. And what’s the one line that everyone who wins an award utters from behind the microphone? “I’d like to thank the Academy.” That’s right, even the biggest of celebrity A-listers take the time to express their gratitude for the people who got them to that stage. No one ever stands up there and says, “I’d like to thank myself, I did it all on my own.”
No matter who you are, or how wonderful you are at what you do, you owe a great big debt of gratitude and a giant thank you to the people who were there in support to get you to where you are. This is why I urge you to give acknowledgment to your team after big successes. Show your appreciativeness to the hard working people behind the scenes. Those people are an indispensible instrument of success. Believe me, a thank you and a pat on the back goes a long way. And I’m willing to bet you’ll see greater enthusiasm and a more determined attitude out of them as well. As for me, I’d like to thank the “academy” of people who have helped to get me to where I am today. I’ve always had an incredible support team at my disposal. It’s best not to lose sight of yours.
Like Bonhoeffer said, “It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
Enrich your life, pour out some gratitude.
