Money Monday: An Attitude of Gratitude

by Dr. Charles Alonzo Peters

Sometimes I just have to turn everything off.  Turn off the TV. Shut off the cellphone. Power down the computer. That’s when I find time to sit still and be thankful -  grateful for all the simple blessings I’ve taken for granted.

In our consumer driven society we’re constantly told we should have bigger, faster, newer. Commercials tempt us with images of “success”. Reality TV shows give us a glimpse of the “good life”. Magazine covers celebrate the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Yes our society is adept at making us keenly aware of the things we don’t have. We drive through distinctive neighborhoods with their large homes and beautifully manicured lawns. At the light, a driver pulls up in her shiny new BMW. Your co-worker walks in sporting the latest designer handbag.  Our best friends brag about their Caribbean vacation.

It’s no wonder we’re always seeking something better. We can’t help it. Our perspective quickly becomes warped. In our never ending chase for the good life we find ourselves trapped on the work-to-spend treadmill, stressed with jobs we hate.

Consider this:

If you complain about the size of your paycheck, remember nearly half of the world’s 6.5 billion people live on less than two dollars a day.

If you just make minimum wage you’re still among the top 12% of the richest people on the planet.

If you’re reading this blog you’re luckier than 905 million other people in the world who can’t read. If you’ve completed college, you’re luckier than 6 billion people on the planet.

If you feel guilty about not being able to buy everything for your kids, remember they still were not among the 16,000 kids that died of starvation yesterday. They are not among the 20% of kids around the world who can’t go to school.

If you fret about having to rent instead of owning your own place, consider 1.6 billion people – nearly a quarter of all humanity – live with no electricity at all.

If you’re tired of the house you own, consider as you flush the toilet that you’re doing what 2.6 billion people on the planet cannot. As you watch the clean water running from your faucet understand that 40,000 people die everyday as a result of contaminated water.

As you think about the new car you want to buy, consider that you can drive down the street without being stopped and raped, mutilated, or killed because of the color of your skin, the ethnicity of your parents, or the name of the religion you practice in your home. Things that occur all the time elsewhere.

Yes, being born American we’ve hit the global jackpot – but we’re too busy chasing bigger and better to even realize it. We take so much for granted. Billions of people around the world, would trade places with us in a second.

The first step to financial freedom is developing an attitude of gratitude. It’s liberating to focus on what we do have, instead of dwell on what we don’t – to realize how lucky we are in the grand scheme of things. Compared to the rest of the world we are already living the good life.

A moment of gratitude can bring your financial priorities into focus. In a world where people routinely go hungry, a $300 handbag or $725,000 house may begin to seem absurd. Suddenly our seven year old car may not feel so unappreciated.

BMWK family, what are you’re grateful for? What are the blessings you’ve overlooked, the ones you’ve taken for granted in our consumer driven society?

Over the next few weeks you’ll get great weekly insight and tips on managing your greenbacks by Dr. Charles Alonzo Peters of MochaMoney.com so be sure to check back.

About the author

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler are the creators of the award-winning blog BlackandMarriedWithKids.com . They also are behind the Amazon.com bestselling DVDs Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, You Saved Me and Men Ain’t Boys that explores manhood in the African American community. The Tylers are also the proud parents of four children.

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook