Last night I was inspired by the power of gratitude. I watched Conan O’Brien’s final episode of The Tonight Show, and was impressed by his commitment to leave everyone on a positive note. He could’ve chosen to be bitter and hurtful about NBC pushing him out of his hosting gig. He could’ve chosen to play the victim and leave everybody in a state of resignation and cynicism. But instead, he choose to focus on the positive aspects of his career at NBC. And not only that, he challenged his viewers to view life through a lens of gratitude and appreciation. Here’s an excerpt of his “closing thoughts”:
“Walking away from the Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do…This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it…But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian – every comedian dreams of hosting the Tonight Show, and for seven months I got to do it! And I did it my way with people I love. I do not regret one second of anything that we’ve done here. You know, I encounter people when I walk on the street now who give me sort of a sad look. I have had more good fortune than anybody I know. And if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we will find a way to make it fun…I don’t want to do it in a 7-11 parking lot! But, whatever…Finally, I have something to say to our fans. This massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming to me…Here’s what all of you have done: you made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. So to all the people watching, I can never ever thank you enough for the kindness to me. I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. And all I ask is one thing — I’m asking this particularly of young people that watch — please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it’s my least favorite quality. It doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen! I’m telling you, amazing things will happen! I’m telling you — It’s just true!”
Like Conan, you also have the ability to choose gratitude and let go of cynicism. Why is this important? Because your attitude and emotional focus affects you and the people around you. Everytime you speak to someone, there is an underlying attitude you are sharing with them. And that attitude has the ability to inspire joy or dampen it. The minute you start gossiping about how bad someone is, you are sinking yourself and your listeners into a pit of negativity. When you complain about how bad the day is going, you leave the people around you incomplete. But when you share gratitude, you lift up everyone around you.
Sometimes it’s hard to focus on the positive because fears and insecurities get triggered when something unexpected occurs. But you always have the ability to see a situation from a different perspective. No matter how bad something seems, there is always a way to be grateful about it. Conan could’ve focused on how NBC was betraying him. He could’ve focused on the loss of the Tonight Show and how he may never host anything like it again. But he didn’t! He choose to focus on the outpouring of love and support he was getting from his viewers. He choose to focus on the wonderful times he’s had at NBC and how they’ve allowed him to become who he is today. He choose to be grateful! The next time you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about something, stop. Stop and choose gratitude. It will make a difference for you and everyone around you!
I’ve been surprising myself lately. And one of the ways I’ve been doing it is by learning how to play the banjo. I’ve always found the pluck of a banjo exciting and bright, and a part of me has always been interested in learning how to play it. I even bought a banjo and a Teach Yourself Banjo book 12 years ago. However I never got past the 4th lesson on multiple attempts. There were many reasons that contributed to my lack of practice, but the main one was that I didn’t have a burning desire to play the banjo. I only had an interest.
Jack Canfield in The Success Principles makes a distinction between the ideas of Commitment and Interest. He says that a person who is interested in something will work towards obtaining it if he/she feels like. And a person who is committed to something will work towards obtaining it no matter what he/she feels like. Basically, interests are subject to your emotions and desires and commitment is subject to nothing. Looking at my progress at the banjo over the last week, I realize I’m actually committed to learning how to play it! And cool things are happening. For instance, my left hand is starting to hit chords before I think about trying to make them — muscle memory is finding moments to break through the clouds of awkwardness and uncertainty. It’s wild and fun! In addition, I’m starting to hear the roll patterns (plucking patterns) in some Bela Fleck songs.
So what about you? Are there things in your life that you’ve wanted to accomplish but you haven’t? Maybe there’s a musical instrument of your own that you’ve always longed to play. Or perhaps you’ve wanted to get in better shape or run a half marathon. There might even be a country you’ve been dying to travel to for years…No matter what reasons you give yourself for not pursuing these things, know that it all boils down to commitment. It’s never that you don’t have enough time, coordination or money. It’s that you’re only interested in achieving what you want. And interest isn’t enough to consistently get you off the couch and into action. If you really want something, get committed! If you’re committed to getting in better shape, you’ll find a way to exercise in the middle of a snow storm (hmmmm….what happens if I run up and down this small flight of stairs for 30 minutes…). If you’re only interested in getting in better shape, the snow storm will give you an excuse to stay flabby.
Sometimes it’s good to stay interested. When you’re interested in something, your curiosity helps you gather more information about it. And sometimes you need more information before you can commit to it. But eventually you’ll want to get off the fence. Making a commitment to exercise daily or making a commitment to stay on the couch and eat more potato chips is wonderful. It’s the lack of commitment one way or another that creates issues. Mainly because it’s really uncomfortable to be on the fence about something. (After all, it’s hard to sit on those sharp wooden posts. 
) Commitment helps you jump off on one side or the other. So what are you waiting for? What’s something that you really want to accomplish, have or be? Stop being interested and get committed!
An era has ended! Last week Bobby Bowden coached and won his last FSU football game. Thankfully, he finished his career in style. Now all the Seminole fans are curious to see what Head Coach in-waiting, Jimbo Fisher, has to offer. During an interview, Jimbo said that the main thing he learned from Bobby is “no matter how bad it gets, the sky’s not falling.” In other words, don’t get panicked, everything’s gonna turn out fine.
The quote “the sky’s not falling” jumped out at me with a crack, as if it was lined to me from the swing of a wooden bat. And I realized that when I get lost in worry, I think the sky IS falling! Of course, I’m speaking metaphorically here. 
I had never thought of worry from that angle before…When we worry we forget about all of the wonderful blessings around us, and we spiral into a torrential sea of worry. Why do we worry? Because we think the sky is falling, and if we don’t figure out how to stop it soon, we’ll be crushed. But the sky isn’t falling, and this is something to remember when times get tough…or when a light snow starts to fall in Mississippi! (As I’m writing this post, it’s snowing outside. Keep in mind, the streets are clear and the snow isn’t sticking to them. But that hasn’t stopped Henny Penny from closing down all the schools for the day and Loosey Goosey and Ducky Lucky from raiding the grocery stores. )
If you look at Bobby Bowden’s career over the last 20 years, you see some incredible achievements and losses. Under his reign FSU won 2 National Championships, two of his players won the Heisman, and, at one point, he was the all-time winningest coach in college football! But on a darker note, many of his players were expelled for cheating, some of his players were arressted for stealing, and he lost the all-time winningest coach title when the NCAA stripped him of some of his wins! I can only imagine what it must feel like to achieve the epitome of success in your field and then have the carpet yanked out from under you. Yet no matter what has happend, Bobby seems to revert back to that simple idea — “the sky’s not falling”. How does he do it? I think it all boils down to his gratitude for his family. No matter what happens on the field, he still has the people he loves most in life. His children, wife and grandkids remind him that he is loved and cherished. In a nut shell, he chooses to focus on and be grateful for all the things he has.
Whenever you get lost in worry and concern, tell yourself that the sky’s not falling. Even if times seem troubled and filled with hardship, you can choose to focus on things you love and that fill you with a sense of gratitude. Being grateful for the people in your life, your health, your successes, etc. reminds you that things are better than you realize. If being grateful in itself doesn’t fully silence the Chicken Little that’s running around in your head, call a loved one and appreciate the time they’re sharing with you over the phone. Worry begets worry, and gratitude begets gratitude!
