Summary: Listen to episode 320 of the Inspirational Living podcast: Thanksgiving | The Power of Being Grateful. Edited and adapted from Thinking for Results by Christian D. Larson. Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast. Wishing all of our listeners in the United States a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Taking time out to show gratitude for the blessings in our life is not only important on Thanksgiving, but all the year through. And, as for me, I’m grateful for all of you Today, I am going to replay one of my readings from the past year on the topic of gratitude and aspiration, which was edited and adapted from Thinking for Results by Christian D. Larson, published in 1912. The attitude of aspiration causes us to think of the marvels that lie beyond present achievement, and thereby inspires the creation of great thoughts. There must be great thoughts before the mind can become great, and the mind must become great before great results can be secured. Aspiration concentrates attention upon superiority and therefore elevates all the qualities of the mind into that state. This being true, every effort in life should be directed towards those possibilities that lie beyond our present achievements, if we wish to cultivate and strengthen an attitude of aspiration. When we are simply ambitious, we proceed as we are and seek to make a mark for ourselves with what power we already possess; but when we are alive with the spirit of aspiration, we seek to make ourselves larger, more powerful, and far superior to what we are now, knowing that a great light cannot be hid, and that anyone with great power must invariably reach the goal they have in view. The ambitious mind seeks to make a small light shine far beyond its capacity, and through this effort finally wears itself out. The aspiring mind, however, seeks to make the light larger and larger, knowing that the larger the light becomes the further it will shine, and that no strenuous efforts will be required to push its powerful rays into effectiveness.
