The list seems to grow longer with each passing day – another deadly shooting, another senseless tragedy. The June shooting in Orlando, Florida that left 49 individuals dead at a popular area nightclub in just among the latest in a far too long string of catastrophes. It’s added to a list that includes the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting and the mind-boggling killing of innocent children in Newtown, Connecticut. And that is only those tragedies that occurred in the United States. Worldwide bombings and fatal shootings feel like they occur on a daily basis. At times, we’re left shaking our heads and asking “why?” While we’ll never have the answer to that question, we can dig a bit deeper into our hearts in an attempt to learn some life lessons from these unnecessary, unfortunate events. Below are only seven of potentially life-changing lessons we can learn from these all-too-common occurrences. Gratitude is the key At the very least, when you hear or think about one of these increasing incidents of violence, it’s time to take a step back and count your blessings. Be grateful for what you do have in your life. Far too often, we spend much of our time, complaining about what’s missing in our lives or what we wish we had. “If I had the latest, greatest cell phone, I’d be so happy.” “I wish I had a summer home in the mountains.” “If only I had a better job.” We don’t spend enough time being grateful for what you do have to start with friends and family who love you. Beyond that, do you have a home to go to every day, enough food on the table for all to eat, even if on some days it’s “only” hamburgers and hot dogs? To reinforce this lesson, you may want to start a gratitude journal give thanks for all the blessings in your life – even the smallest. You’ll be surprised at how quickly they add up. Take nothing for granted How many of us go through our days on “autopilot.” We start out on Monday morning hitting the ground running, ready to go through one more week of what’s become our regular routine. We blindly go through the motions, assuming that what we have today will be there at the at the end of the week, including the people we love most. Remember the adage yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not promised to us. Today, this moment is all we have. Stop for a moment and think how your life would be changed if someone in your life was inexplicably, senselessly taken from you. How would you react? It’s time to realize that tomorrow is not promised and we need to do everything we day to recognize what we do have. Put your problems in perspective Another lesson we can learn from these heart-wrenching events is that every day is a gift and we should treat it as such. These tragedies are the perfect time for each of us to assess our own lives and place the problems we face every day in perspective. What are the largest problems you’re facing today? A traffic light that’s too long? A pizza that wasn’t delivered on time? A missed deadline at work? In the end, your life is still intact. You go home to find your family still there waiting to love you. Our problems pale in comparison to what we see when we view these ever- increasing human tragedies on television and the internet. Stop procrastinating How many times have you said, “I’d love to start my own business someday?” Perhaps your “someday” wish is to write a book. These catastrophes are vivid illustrations that each of those individuals killed in those events all had unfulfilled dreams. Dreams and ambitions and potential that died with them. What are your unfulfilled dreams? What if your “someday” never comes? No one can predict the future. But we can control today. There is satisfaction in being of service to others Have you ever wondered how you would react if a mass shooting occurred near you? Would you run in the opposite direction or try to help some of the victims? Not all of us will be faced with such a momentous decision. But we are faced with smaller decisions of whether to help others on a daily basis. Do you ever walk out of your comfort zone to help others? Sometimes it only takes the smallest of actions to make a big imprint on someone. There are many organizations you can partner with to help others. Or you can decide on your own to “pay it forward” to others. You may never know how you may affect someone’s life one simple random act of kindness – even it’s nothing more than a kind word. And the best part of being of service to others? You’ll feel your heart grow with each action you take. Your personal lesson In every tragedy, there’s a very personal lesson we can learn for our own private life beyond the six listed here. What is it? That’s something only you can decide. It may be you’ve been so busy with work, you haven’t taken the time to let your spouse and know how much you love and appreciate them. Perhaps, these events are your wake-up to live in the moment. It may be time to stop looking back, regretting what you did in the past. You can’t change that. At the very least, each of us can view these heart-wrenching events as a springboard for each of us to grow, to become more human.
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