Gratitude: Taking the Bad With the Good
When I woke up on Christmas morning, I was happy to experience yet another wonderful holiday. These days it feels nice to close out another year, because each year has gotten better and I'm looking forward to the one to come. But it wasn't always that way. I grew up an angry kid with issues that plagued me for years.
What I've learned in recent years is that if it hadn't been for all that, I probably wouldn't even be involved with Wealthy Affiliate. For one thing, I never "fit in" with anyone growing up. I just couldn't relate to any of my peers. I didn't have many friends. For the longest time this seemed the bane of my existence. Fortunately, I have a completely different view of it now.
It's often hard to be as grateful for the bad experiences of your life as you are for the good ones. But the thing is, all of that creates the person you become later. If I hadn't experienced all that, along with a bunch of other stuff I wouldn't dream of mentioning here, I wouldn't be the person I am today.
If I had lived a comfortable "average" life with my average peers, I probably would've been comfortable enough with that to settle accordingly. Just like they did! So the fact that I want more out of life and would rather take charge of my own future is likely the result of those issues. It's BECAUSE I didn't fit in with the average kids that I desired something better.
I suspect there are others here who, like myself, are driven to reinvent themselves and create better futures because of a past they would rather forget. But what I realize now is that while that has been one of the biggest driving factors for me, there's no sense in being angry about it anymore. The only thing left is to make the good stuff happen!
The anger fueled my engines and brought me to where I'm at. It motivated me when nothing else would do the job. But now that I'm here and have seen the potential in what I'm doing, I can only feel grateful for all the crappy events and circumstances that led me here to begin with. Now I can actually feel good about it for reasons that make sense.
Anyhow, I hope everyone else out there had a wonderful holiday. Best wishes to you all!
Mark
Recent Comments
19
I agree.
My past experiences guide me as well. It's good to know that looking back, we get the reason why things happened the way they did. The lessons that life teach us will either make us stronger or break us.
I always tell myself that I have at least one more fight in me and I do, and because of that, I always figure things out.
That's a very healthy perspective, Margarette. People give up too soon, sometimes. In most cases, one can hang on longer.
True. I never give up. I may try different paths to get to where I wanna be if one path is not working out. I just keep seeing the end goal and most days that's enough to keep me pushing.
Awesome! Yeah, sometimes we have to tweak things a bit or experiment, but that's how we learn and grow.
I am glad to hear that you have found a way to turn that negative energy into a positive energy. It is difficult to do but worth it. The experiences you have gained over the years should serve you well in the years ahead. Congratulations on you achievements.
Jerry
Hey Mark,
Various circumstances and experiences produce what we are today. I am thankful to God that you have developed the right attitude even to encourage us by sharing some of your experiences. Have a good festive period.
Joseph
Your attitude is excellent, Mark. You are right...one learns a tremendous amount from the bad stuff in life, and even though the lessons are not fun, they help us later. Going a step further and having sufficient insight to be grateful for them is a great thing. That attitude should also be very helpful as you continue your journey. I am happy for you.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for sharing a bit of your background. It's not easy to share something about the 'real you' and it takes a lot of courage to do so. I believe to know yourself is a great discovery many have not able to do. Thanks for the well written post and I believe you are going to create the success you want out of this venture.
All the best.
Joe:)
Thanks, Joe! I've had lots of these insights and "epiphanies" lately. I figure that if there are others who arrived here down a similar path, they might be of some value to them.
That's right Mark.
In every story like yours above, there are values we could learn.
Thanks.
Joe:)
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Thanks for sharing a part of your past Mark. It is so therapeutic for not only the person sharing, but also the people reading it. So many of us can relate and feel the exact same way.
I’m very thankful for the positive outcome of your past experiences, as it allows all of us the privilege of reading your awesome posts🤗
Have a great day!!
Chris
Thanks, Chris! Glad you could relate. Hope you have a great day, as well!
Mark