Lessons That Inspire Gratitude

I recently finished reading The Way of Gratitude by Galen Guengerich.  Long ago, in grad school, my husband and I were neighbors with Galen, so we found the story of his life’s journey from a conservative Mennonite childhood to ministry in the liberal Unitarian Universalist church to be particularly engaging.

More broadly, though, reading this lovely little book slowly over a period of weeks has meant that I’ve had gratitude on my mind. 

In a year of global pandemic, it’s much easier to stay focused on all the things we’re NOT grateful for:  illness, suffering, and death; food insecurity, unemployment, and economic woes; isolation, loneliness, and fear.

That makes gratitude all the more important this year. 

When I think of gratitude in the professional world, I think of mentoring I’ve been given, opportunities I’ve been offered, and trust that’s been placed in me.  But I also think of lessons I’ve learned from people I’ve worked with over the years.

Some of these lessons are negative:  what kind of boss NOT to be; why NOT to work 24/7; how NOT to run a meeting.  The lessons we learn from negative experiences can be powerful and long-lasting.  But it’s dangerous to rely too strongly on these types of lessons because we don’t always draw the right conclusions from negative examples. 

So, when it comes to gratitude, I prefer to focus on the positive lessons.  For instance:

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• From Mike, I learned that it sometimes pays to ask a second time, even after you’ve been told no.

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• From Desirae and Maria, I learned that diversity, equity, and inclusion are about so much more than just the numbers (important as they are).

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• From Thaler, I learned that it’s okay to acknowledge that a program isn’t working, shut it down, and start something new.

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• From Juanita, I learned that it’s a powerful act of healing to tell your own story on your own terms.

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• From Kyaira, I learned just how important new eyes in old places can be.

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• From Jerri, Chris, and Vicki, I learned that sheer operational competence is the essential foundation for any programmatic or leadership success.

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• ​And of course, I’ve written an entire previous post about the lessons I learned from Liz.

Everyone we spend time with has a lesson for us – spoken or unspoken.  Thus, for me, there have been many other people and many other lessons. 

​But for today, I’m especially grateful for the people above – and for the gift of having been in their presence.