By Rene Godefroy
A year ago, I made a trip to the village of my birth, a small community in the
Haitian countryside. I had been away in America
I returned now to my island, filled with strange stories to tell...Stories of markets piled with food flown in from around the world, stories of doctors who gave out pills to stop people from eating, and stories of cars so abundant that they clogged the roads and slowed the traffic to the pace of a bicycle. Basically, I was telling them about the stresses, changes and the lack of gratitude.
I told my fellow villagers, “You know, American problems come from having too much, rather than too little. And because of these problems, they have what they call stress. And they take trainings called stress management. They also takes classes on how to cope with changes.”
They couldn’t believe me! They had never heard of stress before let alone stress management in the workplace. To them changes are just as normal as the sunset. You know what? I had not heard of those terms myself until I came to this country.
They couldn’t believe me! They had never heard of stress before let alone stress management in the workplace. To them changes are just as normal as the sunset. You know what? I had not heard of those terms myself until I came to this country.
Shortly after returning from my trip, while eating in an expensive restaurant, I watched a woman send a Porterhouse steak back to the chef because it had been cooked medium instead of medium-rare. Later, I watched a man who was dining with her struggle to decide whether to have orange sherbet for dessert and stick to his diet or splurge on an ice cream sundae dripping with caramel and piled with pecans. Does any of this sound familiar?
You are not alone. Many times I am faced with such dilemmas. But I see it as an opportunity to have an attitude of gratitude. How do I do that? Well, I imagine a mountain of breadfruit! Do you know what a breadfruit is?
You don't often see them in American grocery stores. Breadfruits on the outside look a little like a pineapple. But they taste like a tough, extra-starchy potato. As a child, I ate almost nothing but breadfruit.
The folks in my village learned to cook it creatively. We boiled it, we fried it, and we beat it to a pulp and dipped it in sauce. But every day it was breadfruit. My tongue grew so accustomed to breadfruit that I ceased to taste it at all. I ate it only for survival.
Have you seen those children on CNN or the Sally Struthers commercials? How did you feel watching the naked children with skeletal arms, ignoring the flies crawling on their faces? Well, that's what I looked like in my village in Haiti
So when my steak arrives a little too well cooked, or I have to choose between ice cream and sherbet, I don't sweat it. I give thanks to God for the great fortune I've had in America
My friend, take it from a once malnourished child in a Haitian village. The best solution for stressful changes in the workplace or your personal life is to simply be GRATEFUL. Gratitude is the gateway to happiness. After all, it's good to have a job.
Those on the umployment line can testity to that. Yes, you should always strive for more. But more only comes when we are grateful for what we have. Does that make sense to you?
Did you know that it is totally impossible to be grateful and be stressed out at the same time? Ah! Now grab a pen and write everything you should be grateful. I mean write everything down even if it's ridiculous. Don't let your intellect slow you down. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!
I bet you enjoy helping out a grateful child—one who is always thanking you and praising you for your generosity. Well, that’s the way God feels, too. No matter how bad things are, you still have plenty in your life to the grateful for.
Besides, if you think you are having it bad in this abundant land, I have some folks in my village who want to trade places with you. And remember to create your gratitude list. Trust me, don't dismiss this idea of creating a list. It is the best solution to take care of your stressesful changes.
So, there you have it. Whether it is stress management in the workplace or in your personal life, that will take care of it. Make a gratitude list and count your
blessings!
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