Sometimes it's hard to be Grateful

I'm generally a positive person, I pride myself on being a realistic optimist- if there ever was such a thing.  When life seem to be traveling in the right direction it's easy to be grateful.  When my life is on fire and I'm watching everything crumble I have the peanut gallery letting me know, "the universe has a plan" and "it's bad luck".  The harsh reality is that sometimes it's my own fault.  My less than perfect self has led me to a potential string of bad luck.  Bad planning, over estimating what I can get done or not thinking about what would happen, like a game of Jenga with my life scattered on the ground.  I find myself taking a deep breathe in and giving myself the mercy I would give someone else.  I'm my biggest critic, we all generally are our biggest critic.  All we can ever do is be our best, that bar can be set reasonably or unreasonably. 

When I'm in the thick of struggling with gratitude the last thing I want to hear is someone telling me something positive.  If you're like me take a deep breath and try to find a compassionate heart.  I know, don't you just want to throat punch me?

"Compassionate heart?! Do you KNOW what is happening in my life?!"
No, I don't, and I would never begin to understand how frustrated, angry, unfair or awful whatever is going on is happening to you right now.

Sometimes it genuinely is really really bad luck.  I remember in my personal life having a very deep tragedy happen to me, I left a hospital without my twin daughters, I left with urns instead of car seats.  The rawness and anger I felt was horrific.  I remember wanting to scream about how unfair life was, how Ungrateful I was for the awful reality.  The strangers on the street could never begin to feel my pain.  Buying groceries I remember being the biggest jerk because the flowers I wanted were marked $10 but they rang up as $15, I just wanted to climb a wall as they called a manager over to fix it, I almost lost my mind...  It was a choice for me to not unleash my wrath upon unsuspecting people.  It was hard, it was even harder when they tried to extend compassion.  "God has a plan" is not what you want to hear when you are suffering.

What does this have to do with Grooming?  Finances? My business? 

Simple: It's ok to be pissed off, it's ok to feel ungrateful and mad in the moment.  I know in the insane Thanksgiving rush.. and soon to be Christmas rush... you have met some of the rudest, nastiest people.  Some of these people, that's who they are, they're just mean people... and if that's who they are it's time to add a stupid tax to their bill.  For those that aren't normally rude, or cranky remember you have no idea what is going on in their life.  I'm not saying to excuse it, but you don't know if this is their first holiday season without their loved one, or maybe their last.  Their life may be on fire.  Or maybe yours is and you'd hope someone will receive you with a compassionate heart.  Sometimes it's hard to be grateful in the moment, like that woman who starts losing her shit about not fitting her Bernese Mountain Dog on the wednesday before Thanksgiving at 4 pm.  I'm not perfect, but I'm making myself a promise each time something like that happens to instead focus my energy on the clients who booked for Thanksgiving and Christmas back in July, or last year.  I'm going to be grateful for the clients who appreciate me and all I have to offer.  I'll wish the Scrooges a Merry Christmas and smile when they "Bah Humbug" me.    

I welcome everyone to try to come to each situation in grooming, in your business and in your finances with a compassionate, grateful heart- when when it's hard.