Every day we are reminded of what we do not have, the things that we want and what we lack. Such as an item of clothing that we have been eyeing for ages, to the latest gadgets, or even to non-physical thing such as confidence; the list can go on!
It’s always encouraging self-development by looking towards things that we want to achieve, but how often do you take time to reflect on the things you are thankful for? Everyday? Once in a while? Never?
We get so distracted by the voices which tell us what we want that we don’t make a regular effort to being grateful for our current position in life and our blessings even if they seem a basic necessity.
“The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
Dictionary definition of Gratitude.
Being grateful or showing gratitude means to cherish an aspect in our life, to be happy with our circumstance and thinking about what life would be like without it.
For example, showing appreciation towards simple things such as the ability to walk, the gift of education amongst many other aspects that we may find simple. Being grateful means seeing the value of things that we have and how much we may appreciate them if they were to be taken away from us.
Many religions teach the idea of being grateful and appreciating the position we are in our lives. In Islam, it teaches from the Suras chapters that being thankful to God is a necessity;
“If you are grateful, I will give you more”
Sura 14, The Quran
Where God directly asks us to be thankful. It teaches that if one continues to be grateful, they will be rewarded with more. As it draws more abundance to the person. You are what you attract into your life, if you are positive then positivity will be attracted into your life. If you are grateful then greater things will be attracted into your life! This is a fundamental concept is known as the Law of Attraction.
The importance of being grateful teaches us humility and acceptance of our circumstances, developing our maturity for the future. Gratitude balances our desire, if you see a child who always wants more and at Christmas isn’t happy with her 14th present because it was a blue scooter instead of a pink one, shows an imbalance between her gratitude and desire, she desires more than she appreciates. We all have experienced this in our lives and will more so in the future to come, the solution is to know how to deal with feelings of desire and allow it to be balanced with our gratitude.
EFFECT WITHOUT GRATITUDE
Living life without being grateful can cause us to be unhappy, due to our negative perspective. We look towards all the things that we lack in our lives instead of being thankful for what we have available!Being grateful gives a sense of true happiness as you begin to feel content about the things that are available to you. Such as the ability to walk, write and have a bed, some of which people in society today do not have.
Finding the balance between gratitude and desire impacts greatly on your mood, being motivated to achieving the things that you aim to have and also appreciating our current situations.
In society we live such a fast-paced life that we rarely have time to stop, even if it is just for a moment and understand what we have. Where this includes the people in our lives who support us whether we may see it clearly or not. For example, your parent complaining about messing about in lessons are really just looking out for your future.
We find with expressing gratitude we become more content with our circumstances and find more rational ways of improving them instead of acting out of emotion. There is a clear correlation between being grateful and complaining less, each go hand in hand!
THE WAY TOWARDS GRATITUDE
A practical way to encouraging gratitude in your life regularly, even if you start small such as highlighting what you are grateful for one day in a week is better than not trying at all, then gradually building up how often you practise gratitude. Here is a start anchor for things that we can begin to appreciate;
I AM GRATEFUL FOR...
A supportive family
A right to speak freely
My talents
My incredible friends and support system
My challenges that make me a better person
Being alive and having a purpose
Try to write 10 things you are grateful for and creating a reason to why you chose that specific thing. By doing this it will evoke feelings of contentment throughout your day, as you aren't weighed down by the things you lack but instead the things you have!
We can become consumed with the things that we want to have in our lives and overlook the people that we have in our journeys. Our environment is filled with amazing people and sometimes we are so focused on ourselves we don’t appreciate them as much as they deserve.
I find working for something yourself allows you appreciate it more than if it was given to you. For example, if I was to bake a cake from scratch, I would understand every step to getting the cake from start to finish therefore appreciate the taste, texture and appearance. Compared to buying a cake, I can’t truly understand how its come to its final product and appreciate that.That they make us who we are, they stretch us and put us in situations that are bound to make us uncomfortable and most importantly they give us wisdom. We are exposed to new territory when we are put in these situations, like stepping into a cave which is pitch black and learning your way around.
To these experiences we turn displeasure into appreciation for they are the building blocks of our identity. Those experiences and how we respond to them make us.The same goes to those who do us wrong, we thank them, learn from them and do better; in benefit for yourselves and for our future. There is no progress in reflecting their energy but instead using it as a valuable lesson for the future.
By creating a habit of constantly practising expressing gratitude it will be the beginning of a new and changed life; I guarantee it. There is an endless list of all the things that we can be grateful which is every more reason to take action.
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.”
Buddha
Word of Reassurance – everything which is written is based on opinion, experience and perspective of life. I share these blogposts as you may pick up on something which can help you for the future. If you have any concerns or comments feel free to give feedback.
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