A Simple Conversation

Introduction:

Welcome my friend,

Today’s discussion will be short and straightforward, especially after the last two took up quite a bit of our time.

Let this be my little apology for that.

Ideally, the goal of our time together is always to create the greatest impact with the simplest words and in the shortest time possible.

That way, we can spend more time living out what we've learned, practicing them in our daily lives, rather than merely learning alone.

What this means is that when we use more words than usual, it’s only because a more in depth explanation was needed for clearer understanding.

So, please bear with me.

Welcome again my friend; and thank you for always showing up and being part of this.

I’ll never take your presence for granted.

Discussion:

Yesterday, I had a simple conversation with a friend.

They asked what I felt I had achieved this year, since we're now almost halfway through it.

Outrightly, I had an answer, probably because it's something that I've kind of been reflecting on.

So, I told them that for me, the most significant things this year weren’t achievements I could list, but rather the things that didn’t happen to me.

In saying so, what I had in mind were two specific moments.

One being returning home healthy after three days in the hospital; and the other being, walking away from an accident completely unharmed, despite having a strong premonition about it earlier in the day before it happened.

In both cases, things could easily have taken a much worse turn.

Yet here I am, healthy, whole, with nothing broken inside or out, still striving to do my best in making the most of this life that I’ve been given.

What about you?

What would you say you've achieved this year?

This is the basis of our own simple conversation here today, just you and I.

■ What It Means To Count Our Blessings 

The phrase “count your blessings” is commonly used to foster gratitude within us.

A gentle reminder to pause and acknowledge all the good things in our lives, so that we can truly cherish and value them.

Yet, because it says “count”, our mind usually leans towards the additions.

Which means that we think of the fresh accomplishments, the new milestones, all the positive things that we have put together through a period of time.

Some of which may include the big career switch, the big purchase, the merited promotion, the leveling up, the blossoming relationship and other such beautiful things.

As a result, we often tend to feel sad and ungrateful during specific periods of time when we don’t see these kinds of visible progress happening in our lives.

…but are we truly lacking blessings, or are we simply failing to count them?

■ Why We Struggle To Count Our Blessings

We may never truly be able to count something unless we can first see it.

Which is why the first step to being able to count our blessings is to recognize them, becoming aware of all of them.

Many of us fail to appreciate most of our blessings simply because they don’t match our narrow idea of what a blessing should look like.

We have become so fixated on the things we don’t yet have that we overlook the quiet but profound blessing of not losing what we already do.

For example, we’re quick to celebrate an increase in our income, but rarely pause to appreciate the blessing of continued good health.

Yet if our health begins to decline, we may lose the ability to work effectively and earn that income.

In more serious cases, we might even have to spend everything we’ve earned just to try and restore our health.

We've seen things like this play out several times.

The truth is, success isn’t always about constant growth.

Sometimes it’s about development, the stability required to strengthen our roots while we remain at our current level.

This way, we become better prepared and able to grow even faster, more than making up for what currently feels like a delay.

Other times, counting our blessings looks like recognizing the new opportunities we’ve unlocked as a result of everything we’ve built.

Here, we find assurance in knowing that even if we’re not there yet, where we presently are, shows that we're well on our way.

Then there are those more challenging seasons when counting our blessings is simply recognizing the hard earned lessons emerging from our experiences and how these lessons refine and shape our character.

Indeed, this is seldom easy in the midst of the struggle, while we are still going through it; yet with the passage of time, we come to understand that the very trials we once resented were precisely what prepared us for the success we now enjoy.

From all of this, it's evident that no matter our circumstances, we can always choose to be intentional about counting our blessings.

Recognizing them for what they are and not what we think they should be.

In order words, it's knowing that sometimes the greatest value lies not in the additions we pursue, but in the subtractions we have been spared.

Summary:

In keeping with the promise that this would be short, this simple conversation has come to an end.

However, if there's only one thing we can take away, let it be the simple understanding that rightly counting our blessings is far more than mere positive thinking or trying to feel better about our circumstances.

It is about truly putting life in perspective, wholly grasping and appreciating the simple, often overlooked things.

So, what have you achieved this year?

Perhaps a whole lot more than you realize.

Master Apprentice.

www.x.com/truekingmaker