Living By The Three G's

I found an article in a magazine I read often, and it stressed living by the Three G's: being Grateful, being Generous, and being Gracious.  I've developed myself to where I try to live more and more by these principles over the years, and while I still have my temper tantrums and bad moments, I'm amazed looking back over the years at how far I've come.

Being Grateful

Grateful - 1) warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful.  2) espressing or actuated by gratitude.  3) pleasing to the mind or senses, agreeable or welcome, refreshing. 

It doesn't take a lot to be grateful-what I've found it is mostly takes an attitude shift.  I also use the word Thankful interchangeably with Grateful, as it seems to work well for me.  "I'm thankful the sun came out today."  "I'm thankful for the rain that feeds the the flowers so I can take beautiful pictures of them."  "I'm grateful for all the good and decent people in my life."  "I'm grateful that my circumstances are not worse than they are or have been."  "I'm grateful for my modest standard of living."  And on and on.  I've found if I can concentrate on the things that are right in my life and that I really am grateful for rather than the things that are not going the way I'd like them to, overall I'm just a happier person, just on this one attitude.  I'm not going to try to kid anyone, this has taken years of practice and reminding myself to be grateful, but it's been well worth it in the long run for me.

Generous - 1) liveral in giving or sharing; unselfish.  2) free from meanness or smallness of mind or charactor, magnanimous.  3) large; abundant; ample.

It doesn't take a lot of to be generous either, and again it can be much more about attitude than anything else.  Most people immediately think being generous is all about giving stuff or money away, but being generous can also be when someone is facing difficulties and challenges in their life and just need someone to vent to, or being generous by noticing someone is wearing a nice looking peice of clothing and telling them you like it, for example.  It can also be lending a hand when someone's moving, just to help carry boxes or pack them, or it can be about spending time volunteering.  Notice in the definition above that it doesn't say anything about material items!  Being generous creates it's own dividends also, whether it's making someone else's day, or building a reputation of being a go-to person or being known for your kindness, etc.  These are things that can't be bought, they're intangible and are difficult to measure.  Again, it's taken me a lot of practice to develop this trait over the years, but it has been well worth it for me.

Gracious - 1) pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.  2) characterized by good taste, comfort, ease, or luxury.  3) indulgent or beneficent in a pleasantly condescending way, especially to inferiors.  4) merciful or compassionate.  5) fortunate or happy.

Gracious is an old fashioned sort of word I learned during the time in my childhood that I lived in Atlanta.  I listened to my Grandmother's relatives talking about being gracious, but really didn't understand the concept at the time.  I've tried to develop being kind and courteous, as well as indulgent, which is not at all old fashioned.  It takes little time and effort to remember to say please and thank you, but in doing so you elevate the person you address this way, showing they are deserving of your common courtesy and respect.  Being indulgent by listening to a story someone is interested in sharing with you is enriching to both parties, for the storyteller by sharing something in their life or experience, and for the listener by receiving this gift.  It is a basic building block of civilized relationships and allows for the respect and common decency every person is entitled to in my opinion. 

So these are a few of the pillars I've built my life on, and they aren't the expectations I have for others, although I certainly recognize it when I come across it, rather they are the standards I've set for myself, and they seem to be higher than the norm these days.  I hadn't really thought about it until I ran across this article however, and the reason I'm writing my own is to pass it on in some small way.  Enjoy!  :)