Last week we explored the space Below the Line. The moment has arrived, this week, we do the hard work of thinking about our thinking, and set our sights Above the Line.
Vince Lombardi was the infamous head coach of the Green Bay Packers and the man who the Super Bowl Trophy is named after. One time, after an embarrassing loss to a team they should have beat, he gathered his team in the locker room. “Men,” he began, “it’s time for us to get back to the basics.” In that moment he held his hand clutched around an object, and raising it in the air, he exclaimed, “Men, this is a football!”
It’s seemingly easy to drive the football 100 yards from one end of the field to the other, but it’s not. There’s an opponent standing across the line of scrimmage from you. One that may be 6 inches taller and have packed on 20 extra pounds of muscle. And what you believe about the next play…you’re right. You either believe your prepared and ready, or you believe you’ll get squashed like a bug. Your belief’s will determine the outcome.
Yet, as with any play in football, the ‘line’ of scrimmage is meant to be pursued and advanced. To pick up yardage, to dart this way or that, to throw the ball into the arms of an awaiting receiver. It’s simple, yet it’s not. It takes strategy. It takes courage.
The answer of how to transition from Below the Line to Above the Line is so simple, it’s maddening. Yet, it’s so profound, you’ll never forget it. “This, is a football!”
So, how do we get Above the Line? How do we overcome our tendency to think negative thoughts, to focus on negative outcomes by a factor of 7 to 1, to spend so much of our day in a state of stress?
It’s so simple, it’s maddening. Yet so profound, you’ll never forget it.
Gentle reader, the way to cross Above the Line…
Gratitude.
I can almost hear the collective gasp. “Gratitude!?!? Come on Tony, you’ve gotta give me something better than that!” Lest you think I’m joking, I’m not. It’s simple, yet profound. Gratitude promotes you to Above the Line thinking.
Notice, I didn’t say Thankfulness. Thankfulness is a reactive attitude. Someone opens the door for you…Thank you! Someone gives you a gift…Thank you! Someone makes a kind comment…Thank you! And yes, saying Thank you is completely appropriate! But, it’s important to note that it is a reaction to something kind that has been done for you. Gratitude, on the other hand, is a created emotion. It’s stepping back and using your brain to identify good things in your life. It’s not from a space of reacting, its from a space of creating. Isn’t it interesting that those two words unscramble into each other…reacting unscrambles into creating.
Gratitude vanquishes all negative emotion. It sets the course of your mindset and changes the course of your Beliefs. It takes your head trash and kicks it to the curb. It makes room for positivity, abundance, joy and optimism. Gratitude is the missing link between Below the Line and Above the Line thinking. Become grateful, and you’ll enter the space Above the Line. Stay grateful, and enjoy the fruits of Above the Line thinking.
It’s so simple, it’s maddening. Yet so profound, you’ll never forget it.
So, what are you grateful for? Take time to step back and create abundant thinking, a positive mindset, list the things that are the source of blessing in your life. Things you’ve never expressed gratitude for. Sink deep into your mind. Allow it to wonder. Far be it from me to make a list for you…but I could! There’s so much to be grateful for! Take time to think about it…right now! You’ve been Below the Line for far too long. Join me…Above the Line.
On this Thanksgiving weekend, it’s appropriate to reflect on the good things in your life, and express Thankfulness for them. In addition, practice Gratitude and feel the transition of your mind, of your beliefs, of your mindset…to Above the Line.
I’m grateful for you, gentle reader, for following me these past couple years. I’m grateful for those who have taken the time to read my posts, engage with me, and respond back with your thoughtful and positive comments. I’m grateful for those who have chosen to purchase my book Retirement Stepping Stones. I’m grateful for the stories that are coming in weekly now of the positive impact this story is having on my readers. I’m grateful for that the Pamela M. Hixon Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund is growing. I’m grateful for the nursing student who will win a larger scholarship to help them defer the cost of their education. I’m grateful they are willing to enter the Health Care industry to help and care for those in need.
I’m grateful…
I’m Above the Line…
Won’t you join me?
