More than I have ever done so, I’ve been practicing the awareness of being grateful for the past few months.
We always have room for improvement and there are even higher and more blissful moments to encounter and experience. That’s pure growth.
I’ll tell you what role gratitude has been playing in my life so far:
Ever since I was about 3 or 4 years old, I could never fall asleep unless I said my “Thank you God for everything you’ve given me”s.
My parents taught us to always be grateful for everything that we have especially for being healthy, having a roof over our heads and having a family who love each other so much.
I’m not sure whether it was because of the fear of losing it all or because I was the happiest child (the loudest too!) on the block, but I prayed every night and was so thankful for it all… I still am and even more.
Since then, there have been times that I have forgotten to say my thanks before I fall asleep but I have never “fallen off the gratitude wagon” completely for long periods of time.
For the past few months, I’ve been thrown off track by so many unexpected events which took me on a few emotional rollercoasters one after the other, however, I did my best searching for solutions, reasons and understanding it all to keep myself centred.
I kept thanking the universe through it all for what it is delivering to me as the lessons in each and every one of them are priceless in the “school of life” which no money can buy at any top university.
Again, it has all been about being grateful for what I HAVE that has been keeping me centred, happy, and fulfilled.
The ups and downs will always be there but if you’re not a grateful person and lose track of it, you’ll be torn and ripped apart in every way.
Believe me, gratitude softens it all as you’re going through the crazy rides and opens plenty of breathing space.
Gratitude keeps you:
– Humble
– Happy
– Hopeful
– Appreciative
– Kind
– Centred
– Joyful
– Optimistic
And much much more.
Here’s how you can be grateful and add it to your daily lives:
1. Change your focus – Count your blessing on what you have and not what you don’t have and stop comparing yourself with others. Everyone gets their share of the bad and the good.
2. Keep track of your “gratitude”: Any time you find a window of calm, during the day or at night, just take 2 – 5 minutes writing down all the blessings in your life.
3. Be mindful – Be aware of yourself, others, and your environment. Get out of your head (for some, your over analytical head!) once in a while, look around, take a deep breath and say “thank you”. Then replace those old thoughts with the new ones and ask yourself: “What am I thankful for?” and start naming them right then and there. If you do that a few times a day, you’ll be a grateful, happy and fulfilled person. There’s no magic trick.
4. Keep a healthy lifestyle – It all begins with health; body, mind, spirit. They’re all intercon
5. Don’t hold back – Tell those you love and care about how much you appreciate and love them and why. It all comes back to you as in the moment you’re telling them you’ll feel the gratitude within you. Their reaction is just the icing on the cake.
6. Say “Thank you.” – Even for the smallest acts of kindness, that is. Just be thankful. Many try to give something back right away and that’s probably because they believe they don’t deserve it. Allow people to do something for you and just be appreciative and grateful of that. Take it in. You must have done something good.
7. Be grateful for your bad experiences – There’s a lesson in every experience. If you’ve had a bad breakup, an unpleasant encounter, been through accidents, heartbreaks, tragedies, etc. say THANK YOU to all of them. If all this didn’t happen to you (or better yet FOR YOU), you wouldn’t have learned to overcome all of them and you wouldn’t be the person that you are today as a result.
Let’s bring the best out of each other by practicing gratitude daily.
I’m grateful for every moment I get to serve and help you live even a more wholehearted life. Nothing fulfills me more in doing so.
Thank you for believing in me and supporting me in delivering my purpose.
Please leave your comments and answers in the comment boxes under the questions. Remember, you can help others as someone in need may be reading them and can benefit from your words. Thank you for being part of the progress.
