The Importance of being Grateful
Defining
Dictionary.com defines Gratitude as follows -
grat·i·tude [grat-i-tood, -tyood]
noun
the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin grātitūdin- (stem of grātitūdō ) thankfulness, equivalent to grāt ( us ) pleasing + -i- -i- + -tūdin- -tude
I believe it is a very important trait to have. It is hard not to acknowledge that there must exist an unknown reason why life doles out various joys, tears, opportunities, losses etc in the manner it does.
Why
Right from the time we are born, one wonders... Why are some of us born in rich and some in poor families? Some in Europe and some in Africa? Some in troubled families and some in loving ones? There are many different beliefs and philosophies which explain the diverseness of life’s incidents and what governs why certain things happen to certain people.
Every individual tries to adopt a belief that makes the most sense to them and matches their faith and beliefs. At the core of all of these beliefs is the acknowledgement that gratitude is of utmost importance in our lives. One cannot take for granted what one has or gets in this life. Rather one should not be. Pride comes before a fall.
Get perspective
It is easy to go along with the flow of events when times are good and just accept what is happening as normal and forget to say your thanks. We all do this. This is how my life has been and always has and will be. We easily forget or rather choose to forget the hard times or the lows. That is a natural mechanism we use to carry on with our lives, yet we need to remember them not for the pain or disappointment but for the gratefulness we ought to feel when times are good and frolicking!
..each one to his own
There are different ways people express their gratitude. Some do it silently in their minds and just stop for a moment and say in their head “thank you for this”. Some express their thanks by giving up their favourites – may it be a food or a habit or an extravagance for a short period of time, something like sacrificing what you love for the sake of what you got. Some others write it down, some express it in their daily prayers etc.
Try it..
The key thing is ‘be grateful’...you never know what turn life will bring tomorrow, remember the only constant is change and be sure that life will delve out ups and downs. Be thankful for love, for friends, for good health, for the job you have...for simple things in life. Don’t be thankful only when you get those ‘big’ things you’ve be desiring or waiting to come along...you’ll only be left feeling empty and experiencing bursts of happiness and long bouts of unhappiness. It can be life changing when one fully understands this concept.
Try it, its simple.
