Being grateful

Two things have happened this week to disappoint me and make me question my faith in human nature, however, much more has happened to reinforce my belief that most people are inherently good and well meaning.

The survey my son had done on the house he was about to exchange on brought to light rising damp, a leaky roof, dodgy chimney and much more. On the surface, this house looks great, really great, but the current owners have literally papered over a whole host of nasty, expensive cracks. One disillusioned 25 year old.

I coached someone this week, who keeps getting overlooked for promotion. He described his behaviour and I thought, well, there’s lots to work on here and, if he’s receptive, I do think I could help him a lot. Then, he didn’t pay me and is now ghosting me…and he wonders why his career is at an impasse.

It’s easy to focus on the negative and allow yourself to spiral downwards but healthier to pick yourself up and I can see that my son has had a lucky escape from a money pit while all I lost was an hour or two of my time. And I’ve learned always to charge upfront!

Balance this with an otherwise wonderful week, where I’ve had an exciting meeting with an old colleague who has a great new business idea, met with some of my Stopgap buddies, had a fabulous walk with a good friend, cycled 220km, had some lovely conversations with family, spent time with my partner, prepared for my forthcoming holiday and so much more.

My conclusion? For most of us, there is always more good news than bad, be grateful for that.