Why should I be grateful? Being grateful makes us positive, happy and optimistic; it helps us see the bright side of life. It teaches us the art of appreciation. Some believe that we lack in spirit of gratitude because we take things for granted. The street urchin into whose hands you drop a packet of biscuits looks up at you with gratitude and smiles happily. He has known what it is to be hungry, to go without food often times. He knows the value of those biscuits which may not be dainty enough for our palates.
What do we do? Someone takes the trouble to shop and plan and cook and clean, so that a plate of hot food is put before us at regular intervals; we make faces and complain that the dish is either too spicy or not spicy enough; that it is boring; that it not our favourite recipe that has been served; and that the vegetables on the plate are not the ones we like.
May be we need to go without the things we take for granted, to be able to appreciate what we have. When you become aware of all that you have to be grateful for, when you actually begin to count your blessings, you will be overwhelmed with gratitude for all that has been bestowed on you unstintingly. Your sleep, your friends, your good health which you fail to appreciate until you fall ill, the fresh air and sunlight around you, the marvels of technology which have made your life so easy, your society and community – where would you be without them all?
Many think that if they had a little more of this or that, a little more than what they now have, they would indeed be very happy, satisfied and thankful: they are quite mistaken. If we are not satisfied with what we have, we are not likely to be satisfied even if it were increased many times.
What you feel strongly about happens to you. It is thought power that makes things happen. If you feel grateful for what you have, you will attract many more things to be grateful for. Gratitude is the very basis of the abundant law of attraction.
I often urge my dissatisfied friends to actually put down in black and white, all the things for which they are truly grateful: they are in a black mood while they struggle to think of the first two or three; and then, the joy of discovering gratitude carries them forward, and they simply don’t want to stop. Their very attitude changes for the better and they find a new perspective.
Being alive, being free to do what you care about, being literate, being with people – these are privileges which we enjoy and take for granted. Be grateful for them. Gratitude is not an attitude to yourself; it should be an attitude to life, an attitude which you show to others.
Gratitude is most beautiful when it is expressed, and not just when it is felt. When we show gratitude, we are sharing our joy and happiness with others. In the Hindu way of prayer, we light agarbattis or offer incense to show our gratitude to God; the fragrance from the incense spreads all around, making others happy. So it is with gratitude: it blesses both giver and receiver. It strengthens their faith in life, and teaches them to show their gratitude to others.
