This is a tough time for America and Americans. Finally, after years of indulgence, it's all started catching up to us. And this "catching up" part feels very uncomfortable...to say the least. All of us...ALL OF US... have either been directly affected by the recession, or know someone close to us who has been. And believe me, talking about a recession is NOT what most businesses are going to be doing right now, if they want you to spend your money with them. Some businesses are going to take the approach that "to talk about it is only going to remind people about it"...which is what they don't want, if they are trying to get you to loosen the grip on your wallet.
But I have to take a different approach. I just have to.
We at The Studio feel we have been very blessed to be able to make a living doing what we love to do. In the past year and a half that we have been in business at our McCausland Avenue location in St. Louis, I can literally count only two customers who were just "happy" with their portraits and their experience with us....instead of "completely thrilled". (And believe me...I have worked very hard to turn those two "happy"s into two "thrilled"s.) Although we are committed to deliver a product and a service that exceeds our clients' expectations, we feel entirely blessed to have attracted the customers who have felt moved to come to us. What I mean to say is that somehow every single customer we have served has been nice...lovely, actually...a genuine treat to get to know.
And I have to ask...is that really how it works? Did the Universe really just pick out "special" people to send our way? Or, were we blessed with the gift of recognizing the "special" in the so-called "average" person? I really hope it's the latter.
Which brings me to this blog's point: Gratitude.
I like to think that I have always been grateful for the blessings that have come my way. But, the truth is, I have wasted plenty of my gifts and I have wasted plenty of time wondering "why does that person seem to have so much more than me?" or even "why can't I be super wealthy...like, say, Oprah?" These difficult financial times have made me stop and consider the abundance that has been a part of my life all along. Abundance I have taken for granted. Abundance we have ALL taken for granted. Abundance America has taken for granted.
This is a time of great change in America. Unfortunately, it had to come to difficult financial circumstances for a meaningful number of us to recognize that a change is needed. And for those difficult financial circumstances, I say we should be grateful. Yes, I just said that.
As a people, we had become so greedy in our expectations. Want some clean, drinkable water? Turn on the faucet. Want to take a warm bath, instead of a cool drink? Oh! Then, turn the other faucet. Want to use water for some other, um, personal business? Well, speaking frankly...have a seat. Clean water and sanitation services are just one of the western luxuries that everyone in America takes for granted...most times without bothering to offer up gratitude. Yet, 2.5 billion people in the world lack access to adequate sanitation and clean water.
While all of us knew about "the homeless", those people were still the people that you heard about...but no one you really knew. They were invisible people. Maybe even mentally ill, or alcohol or drug abusers. But certainly, no one we knew. Until now. Yes, there are still a lot of Americans who have a roof over their heads...but there are now many, many "regular people" who understand that they are just one paycheck away from the possibility of homelessness. In America.
How did this happen? I'm certainly no economist. Or even an intellectual. But it seems plain to me that the core reason for our country's predicament is a prevalent, collective spirit of greed. And, in my opinion, this greed started with the wealthiest of us and "trickled down" to the average Joe. Heck, it's how the American economy has thrived all these years.
But I believe that at the heart of our problem is that we forgot to have heart. We took too much for granted and we forgot the very basics of the Law of Attraction (whether you ascribe to that type of thinking or not). We forgot to value what we had. We forgot to be grateful.
Forgetting to be grateful is so easy to do. But, it is also easy to make right.
I don't pretend to know how to go about solving the problems in our country. I humbly give that responsibility over to those who I hope and pray are much smarter than me. All I'm really an expert on is taking flattering photographs. But I am also pretty darn good at gratitude. I am good at appreciating people. And so is my staff. We feel that we have our own little mission here, at The Studio. And, although we like to think that we are a lot of fun....we take that mission very seriously.
If you have found The Studio while doing a web search for photography in St. Louis, then we are grateful. And I believe that whatever type of portrait photography you are looking for, you will be pleased....no, make that completely thrilled with the end results. We will do everything we can to exceed your expectations. The phrase "we appreciate your business" has never meant more than it does right now.
We have always subscribed to the idea that a business should offer a quality product and/or service at a fair price. Pretty simple notion. But, some businesses have allowed greed to dictate their pricing structures. Maybe that works for them in the short term...but, at The Studio, we are interested in building a relationship with our clients. We don't just value your business. We also value your good word of mouth and your repeat business or referrals.
I hope that with this blog I am able to inspire in you an attitude of gratitude. This is a time when gratitude may not come easily. But this is the time that we need to embrace a sense of gratitude more than ever. At The Studio, we believe that Gratitude makes whatever you have more. I hope that something you have read here will prompt you to think about the true abundance you have in your life...and that you will take the time to express your gratitude to God, or The Universe, or whoever or whatever you think is "out there". It certainly can't hurt, right?
And who knows the impact that Gratitude can have on your life?
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