
GRATITUDE WILL SUSTAIN OUR SUCCESS.
How do we sustain our success without falling into the trap of ego? How do we avoid pride? Being grateful is a powerful strategy to balance our success. An attitude of gratitude defends us from our ego. In personal growth, gratitude is the correct response to the success we receive. It is the correct ‘consolation’ or prize. We will discuss what we mean by consolation shortly.
…Do you want to learn more about expressing gratitude?
GRATITUDE PROMPTS US TO BE OF SERVICE.
On our journey, we become increasingly grateful for what we learn and the inner progress we make. This happens naturally & spontaneously! We are especially grateful for the joy and inner peace that builds in our life. This gratitude creates an urge to be of service to others. All this happens effortlessly if we are on track!
…Can you see how gratitude could become a natural part of your life?
GIVING SO MUCH MAY SEEM COUNTERINTUITIVE.
Giving to others might seem strange at first. Why would we want to give so much of our success away? Surely the primary beneficiary of our success should be ourselves? At first giving and service to others might seem counterintuitive. Freely giving to others, with no expectation of return, is quite rare.
Most business activity is not driven by giving. Sometimes philanthropy is seen as a social responsibility, but it’s not a driving force for business success. Business people often donate only a little to others, at their discretion. That’s if they feel so inclined! There is no pervasive business rationale for giving away a large proportion of wealth, except sometimes as a final legacy or bequest.
WE RECEIVE MORE BY GIVING MORE.
So then why is ‘giving more than we receive’ a beneficial strategy for personal growth? This seems counter intuitive, but surprisingly giving away so much is a sustainable strategy. There are two parts to this rationale. First, when we give to others, this attracts even more of the same back to us. This is the universal spiritual law of attraction that states ‘like attracts like’! Giving out of a sense of gratitude is a powerful positive ‘attractor’. So, when we are of service to others, this attracts even larger benefits to us. We indirectly receive more than we give. So, it’s a considerable net gain!
…Can you see how being grateful attracts more benefits into your life?
GIVING OUR UNIQUE TALENT IS VERY SATISFYING.
Secondly, there is a special feeling of satisfaction, joy and contentment from giving to others and being of service. We feel especially fulfilled when we share our own special talent and ability with others. This results in high levels of wellbeing which tends to be long lasting.
…Have you experienced the lasting joy of giving and being of service?
MONEY & MATERIAL WEALTH IS NOT FULFILLING.
It’s just not fulfilling enough to earn lots of money for the purpose of buying material benefits. Even extreme wealth is not enough, especially in the long term! We justify our wealth because we feel it gives us more security. But the buffer of financial safety that material success provides is not ‘real’ security. This is because it is not permanent. It needs constant maintenance.
…Can you see how material comforts are only temporary?
CONTROL & INFLUENCE ARE BAD OBSESSIONS.
Even commanding enormous force or influence eventually loses its thrill. Control becomes more of an obsession and a mental disorder. This provides only temporary forms of pleasure and safety. This force of control must increasingly be maintained. It eventually crashes, leaving us vulnerable, dependent and craving for something more. Even absolute control, domination and notoriety will not suffice.
Finally, even chemical and biological agents will no longer satisfy. Over time, people become acclimatized to all that. They become numb to this high level of addictive pleasure.
…Do you see how control and chemical pleasures are not sustainable?
OUR OBSESSIONS LEAD TO DESTRUCTION.
Ego-based success has a high maintenance cost. All these unsustainable measures mean so little in the end! But they are almost impossible to stop! The addiction to these measures then controls the person!
Material rewards are only a ‘cold comfort’ because there is no lasting satisfaction or fulfilment. People become terrorized by the fear of losing wealth and control. They fear retribution, chemical withdrawal, and other dire consequences. Success that is driven by ego becomes a considerable burden to bear.
…Are you burdened by an addiction to ego-based success?
WHAT IS THE CORRECT ‘CONSOLATION’?
To live a sustainable happy life, we therefore need to have the correct ‘consolation’. The word consolation sometimes conjures up images of a secondary prize or lesser reward. An example would be the term ‘receiving a consolation prize’ for an event.
This is far from the truth in the context of personal development. Gratitude and giving away our material wealth may at first appear to be foolish. But it is in fact the wisest strategy! This strategy is essential for retaining and maintaining our long-term inner wealth. The greatest fortune is our permanent happiness, inner fulfillment, and deep inner peace. This is the correct consolation to choose!
THE RIGHT CONSOLATION GIVES LASTING RELIEF.
The term ‘consolation’ in a developmental context can also be thought of as a form of relief and benefit. Being ‘consoled’ brings a feeling of comfort. Without the correct consolation, life slowly becomes meaningless.
All material accumulation inevitably devalues in our own eyes. By the time of our inevitable demise at our death bed, material wealth and control are all worthless. We can’t take it with us!
…Can you see how material wealth doesn’t really matter in the end?
SEEK PERMANENT STATES OF JOY.
So, we need to aim for the right form of relief and comfort. We aim for that which will support us in our true-life purpose. The best form of consolation is permanent happiness, inner security and lasting joy. These are permanent states. They are not just temporary pleasures which are addictive and unsustainable. These positive states are supported by giving and profound gratitude.
…Are you aiming for sustainable forms of comfort and pleasure?
WHAT TYPE OF LEGACY ARE YOU LEAVING?
A common justification for material wealth is that we leave a legacy to our children or heirs. But is leaving such a legacy of control, enslavement and suffering really a meaningful legacy? Was all that effort and suffering justifiable? Was our behavior morally defensible?
True consolation eases the burden of success. Only the correct consolation will sustain us for the long term. It will support us right up to the moment of our death and perhaps far beyond. The correct motivation gives us comfort and relief to ease the burden of our enormous success.
…Do you still feel burdened by the pressure of being ‘successful’?
GRATITUDE PROMOTES CONTENTMENT & PEACE.
The best antidote to material ‘success’ is service to others and gratitude. Gratitude leads to more joy. To protect us, it must be truly felt and correctly expressed. It will provide us sustainable and permanent comfort. We can then build even higher levels of happiness, deep contentment and true inner peace.
Temporary pleasures just distract us from our emptiness and suffering. Permanent happiness and joy are a sense of fulfilment that lasts throughout our entire life. This permanent ‘wealth’ does not diminish or devalue. In fact, it can accumulate and build in value. It suffers no degradation or tolerance with prolonged use. It does not produce dependency or addictive behavior. We don’t crave another ‘fix’ or ‘hit’ like we do with the transient highs of materialistic motivation.
…Are you committed to lasting happiness through giving and service?
EMBRACE THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE.
For all these reasons, building permanent inner wealth is a good strategy. So, will you embrace gratitude and giving in your life? What is the highest order of service? What is the greatest gift you can give? We discuss this final strategy next.
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