Blessed

When someone asks you, "How are you doing?" how do you answer? It's easy to respond to such a common greeting without giving any thought. But sometimes the way we answer this simple question can reveal much about the way we think about our lives. 

A prominent business and community leader, now well into his 70s, always responds the same way when asked how he is doing. He always—always—answers, "Blessed." If he answered some other way, it would be a great surprise to those who know and love him. 

His response says a lot about his heart: it flows with gratitude. He's grateful to God for his many blessings; he's grateful to his wife and loved ones; he's grateful to his many friends and associates; he's thankful for another day of life to help and serve others. 

Of course, this doesn't mean that his life is all sunshine and roses every day. Over the years, he's had his share of ups and downs, triumphs and heartaches. But he chooses to focus on his blessings. Yes, life could be easier, the path smoother, but he counts his blessings—and he invariably finds that they outnumber his trials. 

As a natural consequence of this grateful outlook, his life has become a legacy of selfless service, compassion, friendship, and kind actions. Those who need advice seek his optimism and wisdom. At least in part, it seems to be his "blessed" attitude that inspires his love and care for others. 

The next time someone asks how you're doing, it might be a good opportunity to reflect on how blessed you truly are. Yes, we want to be sincere, not fake. But perhaps we could also consider our blessings more often. No matter how bad things are right now, they could be worse, and they can get better. We always have blessings to count. 

The world is glorious, people are generally good, 

and life can improve in the days ahead. 

Truly, as this wise man affirms, we are blessed.