Gratitude isn't just about repaying; you can also return it by applying what you've learned to the future

I have intentionally brought my business succession challenge to an end and am now starting to walk a new path. Right now, I am in a fantastic flow.

The term "repaying a debt of gratitude" is well-crafted.
At first glance, it sounds beautiful. But when you think about it, it carries a strange kind of power.

"Repay your debt of gratitude."
How many people have been moved by those words?
Sometimes, it even comes with a side of guilt.
#StopIt

Is repaying gratitude an obligation? A debt? Does it accrue interest?
Is there a payment deadline approaching?

I, too, have received a great deal of kindness over the years.
People who helped me, people who gave me opportunities.

But, to be honest,
there are debts of gratitude I haven't been able to repay directly to those people.
Some people I can no longer meet.
Some people I don't even know where they are.

But that is okay.

What matters is using what you learned from that kindness to help someone else next.

For example, there is something a boss once told me:
"Everything is imperfect. Don't seek perfection too much."

I pass those words on to a younger colleague.
And that colleague passes them on to someone else.

This, too, is a wonderful way to repay gratitude.
The "yield" of gratitude spreads outward.

I think of gratitude like a river.
It flows, it circulates, and it quenches someone's thirst in a place you don't even know.

What happens if you stop it and say, "Pay it back here! Don't let it escape from here!"?
It stagnates. It rots. It starts to smell.

#GratitudeAsADitch

Of course, it is wonderful if you can repay the person directly.
But that is not the only way.

Gratitude is something to be circulated.
The moment it helps someone, it has been properly repaid.

"Gratitude isn't just about repaying."
"You can also return it by passing it on to the next person."

If you can believe that, you can graduate from living in 'debt'.
That is how I want to be. I want to stay in a good mood.

The things others have done for me, the words that saved me, the moments that made me laugh.
I will pass it all on to the next person. That is my way of repaying kindness.

There is no need to rush. You don't have to think, 'I must repay this kindness' right away. After all, you will be spending your whole life paying it forward.

#FormsOfGratitude
#StayInAGoodMood
#CirculationIsJustice
#GratitudeIsNotADebt
#DailyNote
#ItWillWorkOutAnyway