Grateful. I’m grateful for the rare opportunities I’ve had in my career, for the strong mind that allows me to navigate it, for the confidence of those around me that I can pull it off, for a supportive family, and for the unknown fortune that continues to tie it all together and make it work. Sometimes I get stuck in my analytical mind and can only see gratitude as a tool. Gratitude, actively considered or expressed, tends to reinforce the things that you’re grateful for. It attunes your mind to things you’ll be more likely to see or discover in the future. More importantly, it helps others feel like they’re a part of your cause and attunes their minds to those things as well. A human mind, primed for the right things, is the real magic in this world.
The funny thing is, I have to come back out of my analytical mind before I can put this into practice. That part of my brain can understand it technically, but until I can feel it emotionally, it doesn’t work. Gratitude is firmly in the realm of human emotion and creativity. It can’t be fully understood or activated in an analytical mindset (one more reason to learn to get out of that mindset every once in a while). So I instruct my inner engineer to let go and think whimsically. I try to feel the gratitude in the center of my chest – that warm glow of appreciation (truly connection) that can melt away my mental gears and bring tears to my eyes. When I do this, I find I’m not really in control of anything the way my analytical mind would like to believe. I’m just putting my faith in the world around me, that I know I can’t understand, to work in my favor.
That feeling of gratitude transforms into connection – connection to my work, connection to the people I’m grateful for – and it turns back around on itself into a strong desire to see these people and this work prosper. Truly, I want to see my efforts in life benefit all these people that I’m connected to in this moment. This thought passes back to my analytical mind with the simple directive: Seek the win-win-win. Every project, every effort, every vision should benefit me, the people close to me, and the people beyond. That could mean, me, a supplier I’ve partnered with, and our mutual customer. Or it could mean me, my employees, and the industrial community.
Thank you for the challenge. Thank you for the purpose. Thank you for the friendship and inspiration.
About the Author
Jon is an engineer, entrepreneur, and teacher. His passion is creating and improving the systems that enhance human life, from automating repetitive tasks to empowering people in their careers. In his spare time, Jon enjoys engineering biological systems in his yard (gardening).
