GRATEFUL

There is one thing in life that we human beings lack and i.e. being happy with what we already have.

There is a famous quote by Napolean Hill which says,

Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time.

In the same way, a person cannot be grateful if he’s complaining. Both the emotions just don’t go hand in hand.

Infact, you won’t hear a grateful soul complaining (if you do please bring them here I am serious).

Most of the time we take little things for granted, things that people wish they were fortunate to have. I am not talking about materialistic things here let me be very clear. As the saying goes “health is not valued till sickness comes”. We, human beings just don’t realise the importance of anything until that thing is snatched away from us.

So, why do we want to wait and make life teach us that lesson the hard way when you can learn it now.

Below are few things that we take for granted :

1. If you are reading this, it basically means that you are ALIVE, isn’t that something to be happy about. You still have time to achieve your dreams, isn’t that good enough?

2. If your close ones also woke up today, you are very fortunate. There are people who can give anything just to spend time with their lost ones. So, please appreciate people around you- give time to relations because that’s the only thing that will stay with you till end.

3. If you have a place to stay you are lucky. The place can be your own, can be rented – it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are able to sleep peacefully at night.

4. If there isn’t a hurricane, earthquake, tornado or other natural disaster going on outside your door you are damn lucky.

5. If you have the means to eat three meals a day, you should be proud of it. But unfortunately people start comparing the quality of the meals. They are not happy with what they get and they waste it.

6. If you have at least some of your senses you are lucky. I came across a video years ago and I think it explains my point clearly. Have a look at it.

https://youtu.be/qj1_cB7OZDs

7. If you have a cell phone, even if it isn’t an iPhone, you are still very lucky. You can call your close ones anytime even if you are not with them. You can video call them. Earlier, this wasn’t even an option.

8. If you are physically and mentally healthy then that’s the best thing. To go on with this life, a good health matters A LOT. So, please take care of yourself.

The above list is definitely not an exhaustive one. There are “N” no. of things that we can be grateful for, we just have to look for it and stop the thing that we are so used to doing, i.e. COMPLAINING.

We get so into this complaining mode that we miss seeing all the things that actually might be going in our favour.

I am sure there had been times in your life when you felt stuck and kept on questioning God as to why bad things were happening to you. Why was your life not going how you expected it to go? The time when you couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and you thought that your problems were too big and there was no solution to it.

Well! Honestly, I think getting out of your head and getting new perspective always helps.

Try visiting a hospital near your house and I am 100% sure that it will make you realise the things that you had earlier taken for granted. When you go there and see that people have serious medical issues which are nothing compared to your petty fights with your best friend, break ups, failures and what not. You start becoming grateful for what you have. Be it your health, be it your family or be this life.

I happened to visit a hospital recently as I had a small operation for my foot corn and when I went there I saw many people in queue with different health issues and there I happen to interact with a lady. She intially asked me – what’s my name, where do I live, how many siblings I have.

Then she started sharing about her life, the thing’s that she had gone through and it just made me realise that my issues were nothing compared to hers.

My bday was on 10th of march and I had a professional paper to write the next day along with many other things that were going on in my life. Nothing actually was going according to my plan. By nothing I really mean nothing.

And when my friends messaged me asking how was my bday I said,

This was the worst bday that I could ever have.

I actually said that.

Now when I look back I think, just being here- just being alive on my bday was a reminder that I do have time to accomplish my dreams whereas there are many people who won’t have that time and who won’t be turning a year older.

I felt grateful for what I had and my problems seemed much smaller than how I made them look.

Being grateful is one of the most important things in life. When you start looking at what you have you realise you are better off and you start having that internal happiness.

Be grateful.

Be happy.