Attitude of Gratitude

Attitude of Gratitude

Rhonda Byrne , in her book, “The Secret”, has said that one has to give to receive. Gratitude is giving thanks, without it we cut ourselves from the magic of life and also from receiving everything one wants in life.

On deeper thought, how many of us are really thankful about every single day which comes in our life? Most of us take it for granted, we neither make any plans to spend it fruitfully nor apply our minds to make it memorable and useful. We just drift through the hours, minutes and seconds without being thankful for having got the opportunity to be alive and do something.

How many of realise that every single day is not just another day, it is a gift given to us to create something beautiful, to strive hard in our respective worlds. Our response to it should be as if it were the first day as well as the last of our life. Yet we procrastinate aimlessly and let the day pass off not thinking about the outcomes or the results. Instead of being thankful for the 24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86400 seconds and putting them to good use we fritter them away. That is essentially because we take our life for granted and feel that doing a task later would not make any difference. However in letting every precious moment pass by doing nothing is doing disservice to the society and oneself.

So what then is gratitude? Gratitude is not only being thankful or grateful but also acknowledging, appreciating, recognising, giving credit to a person or thing wherever one is at the moment. Gratitude is important because it is a great stress-buster and therefore improves our health, gives a boost to our immunity. Practising gratitude peps our mood, improves our relationships, facilitates our social life. It also removes negativity from our lives, makes us more tolerant and annuls resentment. This makes us sleep better and have increased energy.

From times immemorial, gratitude is an inseparable part of our culture. The yagyas performed by the gurus were a token of gratitude to various forces of nature whether the sun, air, earth, water. The many festivals we celebrate whether Sankraant, Pongal, Lohri, Baisaakhi, Thanksgiving or Bakrid center around this feeling of gratitude. Mythology tells us about Lord Krishna himself repaying Draupadis gesture of tearing her saree to tie it around his wounded finger by protecting her during the infamous vastraharan.

We must therefore make gratitude an inseparable part of our lives and practice it every day. It should not be like an unexercised muscle but like a well-oiled mechanism which transforms lives.

This can be achieved by celebrating the smallest of achievements or any occasion..
Apps like the gratitude app can be useful in noting things we are thankful for everyday.
One can also practice maintaining a Gratitude journal  or take a gratitude test.
Gratitude can be practised from the minute one wakes up by thanking things we take for granted like our breathe, vision, sense of smell, touch and sound, our family, friends, work. It should be all- pervading including even things which we feel are not going right. This would help us to learn from our mistakes by checking what lessons it has to offer.
Gratitude is not necessarily a give and take. The benefits of gratitude are not linear. The good that one does towards a particular person may not be returned from him or her but can emerge from third persons too.
It is also said that by virtue of the Law of attraction, our thoughts are like magnets attracting what we think. So much so that if we think positively, positive things will happen and if we harbour negative thoughts our world could crumble.
Practising gratitude is therfore the key to growth and development of the self.
So at the end of each day make it a point to remember what touched your heart, what inspired you, what made you smile , what was the best thing that happened to you today.
One can also learn to value a person by imagining life without him or her leading to a renewed sense of gratitude and appreciation for them.
At times we are unable to have cordial relationships with certain individuals. It is important to ponder on the negativity of the issue which consumes your energy and focus on solving the problem.
A gratitude walk would bring us face to face with the beauties of nature, the sky, the trees, flowers, the wind. The faces we see everyday are not mere faces but have stories of courage behind their cool demeanour. One must learn to be kind to them as well as grateful..
A life full of meaning is beckoning us and all we need to do is be receptive to savour its gifts, open our hearts and smile. Our presence and touch can make a world of difference to someone.
The musical group ABBA have immortalised this feeling in their song , I have a dream. As I hummed the song today, I felt grateful that empowering women and society through MSRLM is a destination which has made my life worthwhile, enabling me to push through the darkness and strive to reach many more miles. Oh yeah....I have a dream , I have a dream.....and I feel so grateful about it....What stops you from being grateful too....go ahead transform the world....

P.S. The writer has developed a one hour capsule to facilitate practicing the attitude of gratitude and would be grateful for any opportunities to present the same.