Gratitude

What is Gratitude? Why is it important for us to be grateful?

Gratitude is a positive emotion a feeling which we have when we are really grateful for something, be it anything. The definition of Gratitude is as follows by Harvard Medical School, which says that gratitude is:

“a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives … As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals – whether to other people, nature, or a higher power” 

In most of my previous blog post I have mentioned one common issue we humans have especially today when comparing lives has become so easy. We often forget to be thankful for little things in life and often forget to see that we have much more than we could have ever asked for.

No person on this earth is living a complete satisfied life. Everyone is dealing with some incompleteness, some emptiness, some sorrow, some void that will never get fulfilled. But that does not mean that we don’t appreciate for the things we have.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

-Melody Beattie

I had also fallen for this social media trap of comparing my life with others. It’s exhausting and really eats up the little happiness from within yourselves. I have realized it’s not worth it. This is my life, and I want to make as much as I can and don’t want to feel low or ungrateful. I no more wish to complain about petty things or in fact anything. I wish to be grateful for little things in life which I am blessed with, my talent, my skills, my life everything.

I am grateful and thankful for every little problem I have been through because those dark times that I have tackled has made me what I am today. I no more wish to be the person who see what others are doing and easily feel low and fall in the trap of comparing life. It really makes no sense.

Be grateful for everything in life and try to look at the positive side. I am aware that it is difficult, at times we have nothing to look at, at times life is completely dark but be grateful that you still are alive and that itself is the light of your life that you still have a chance to make things better. Even if there is nothing in your hand right now, there will be something at least even a minute thing that can turn out to be your turning point.

I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.

-Brene Brown

Like I really look up to people who actually write down every-day things to be grateful for. I really get inspired by people who have a gratitude journal and write things in it what they are grateful for. That is something I am trying to make it a part of my life, which I will soon. I do note down little and small incidences which I notice (sometimes my memory and keen noticing skills do surprise me) and write it in my journal.

Let me share a very recent experience. Some weeks back I had ordered something from Swiggy which is an app that helps you order food from near by locality and delivers food instantly at your door-steps. This happened with me thrice, I happened to give extra money in the form of the tip to the delivery guy, and he happened to ask me “you are giving me extra money.” to which I replied “It’s for you. Keep it.” and there was such a huge smile on his face, like his face suddenly lit up and he gratefully thanked me and left with a huge smile. Which in return made me smile too, and it makes me wonder while I write this, that how even a little gesture could make someone feel happy or bring a smile on someone’s face.

All, I want to say is, be thankful for your life, shelter, home, food, loved ones, friends, air conditioner, water. Everything. Because there are many out there who are struggling for the basic things in life, there are many out there who are fighting for some extra time to just live.

“Happiness cannot be traveled to owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

Being grateful also helps in keeping our negative and depressed feeling away. So start being grateful and show gratitude to people who are doing little things for you. Gratitude helps to mend relationships as people start being grateful for the little actions people are doing for them.