Entitlement Destroys Thankfulness

When we lose respect for personal property and other basic freedom's  as a means to create wealth, we run into significant problems. Enter wall street protests.  I am owed from your stash of cash!  This attitude is coveting and erodes our social fabric and puts our most basic rights on the tipping block. Sure, big wall street gangsters exist and there is unclear legislation and oversight to ensure an appropriate playing field, but by no means does that warrant the upending of Capitalism. 

Same principle in Greece: the people feel entitled to a way of life and therefore are not thankful for what they have.  So they freak out and demand entitlements from other peoples hard work. Coveting.

Canada, are we going to take our cues from the rest of the world and learn? Or are we going to continue to dole out entitlements paid for by hard working people, and corporations?  Let us not undermine the free market that has brought us so much success and prosperity.  The freedoms we enjoy are being threatened abroad and even creeping into our country.  We just lost an Ontario election because, in part, the Liberals said they would intervene the most to ensure people 'keep their jobs'.  This sad notion of looking to the government for prosperity and jobs is scary. It undermines our abilities and what we were designed to do: take responsibility and operate passionately and generously within the free market.  I am thankful for what I have and do not feel entitled to other peoples successes.  Rise up fellow Canadians and stat bragging about what you are thankful for. Often, many political philosophies presuppose various entitlements as a result of being a human. The problem is, these entitlements are forced to be paid from others. This undermines their right to basic freedoms we ought to ascribe as valuable.  Thankfulness for what we have let's Bill Gates make billions without getting bitter that he is some menace with money.  Take joy in our most basic freedoms of personal property and keeping the fruit of our work.  This is a massive step towards ending chaotic protests and government welfare handouts.  Let the thankfulness campaign begin!

Eliminate The Thankfulness Deficit

When I am lost in my own little world, I find ungratefulness and selfishness to be attitudes that really move me away from a thankful heart towards a 'Ryan is a victim' mindset.  Obviously, this does not help matters.  I look to justify my negative attitude by citing the wrongs against me.  I have found this process to do nothing but hurt me, and those around me.  It drags them down too.  I am slowly learning (and well under way) that when adversity comes, a powerful way to handle and eventually bring change is by being thankful.  In business, it's hard to be and remain a victim of circumstance when I develop a thankful mindset.  I am continually looking for things to be thankful for, finding thankfulness to be a foundation on which I solve problems in business.  When was the last time you saw a child get spoiled, only to look at their friends treat or toy, and cry for that too?  When we are thankful for what we have, we are able to allow that other child to enjoy their toy.  Hmmm, I wonder if we can extend this analogy to politics and program spending?  I dare think so. I encourage you today to begin speaking words of thankfulness, even if your situation is challenging, for when you do, words of gratitude and life come out of your mouth and become a foundation on which you view your challenges.  I have learned that we create life with our mouth and would truly expect good things to come our way.  Create words of life today and eliminate this thankfulness deficit in Canada, for when we do, we are well on our way to go after the fiscal deficit. 

I am ever so thankful for my beautiful wife and precious girls! I am thankful for limbs that work, a mind that thinks and a family that loves me.  What are you thankful for?

Alexis is 3. I am so thankful she loves life!

Call it "thanks-getting": thankful I get to be a dad!
Sadie just turned 2 and is filled with life.