“Being Grateful is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero
The contemporary world is more confusing than ever. The latest statistics depict that anxiety and depression are rampant across the globe. Unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and negative beliefs are becoming norms of the day. Therefore, practicing to be grateful is a panacea to counter negativity and make progress in life.
Gratitude is necessary to lead a life of contentment and mindfulness— people who are always fixated on getting more often forget what they have. When one admires his surroundings – nature, people, safety, and health – the individual becomes happy and contented. People who always complain and see life as an incessant series of pain and sorrows are not the case in actuality. If your life is swaying away from your goals and ambitions, you are in the right place.
What Does it Mean to be Grateful?
Being grateful is not all about chalking down a list of all things a person is thankful about. This is a good exercise, but there is a lot more to the concept of gratefulness than this. Fundamentally, gratitude transforms 3 things in one’s life – the past, the present, and the future.
Having gratitude allows an individual to grow and prosper in one’s life. Gratitude will enable one to see the present clearly and take full advantage of the opportunity at hand. A well-known strategic coach, Dan Sullivan, introduced an essential concept in regards to gratitude – “The Gap and the Gain.” He iterates that most people are living in “the gap.” Therefore, this type of person always focuses on things that are missing in their lives rather than blessings.
Man is a designer of one’s past, present, and future experiences. Gratitude about your future bolster one’s faith. It allows one to believe that an individual will succeed. If a person is at a place of acceptance, peace, and trust, it will help the person easily navigate through life’s greatest challenges.
Focus on Progress Rather than the Outcome
Most people in the habit of living in “the Gap” don’t even follow their passion or goals because they fear failing. Inherently, they focus on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on the outcome, one must focus on the progress, happiness, and the present moment. Oftentimes, when people remember the past, they only focus on things that didn’t work out rather than the achievements they made. Being pessimistic about life and focusing on living in the gap can only develop a negative mindset that halts progress.
One of the modern world’s curses that we often forget how precious life is as taking things for granted. We don’t consider the fact that even being able to see, smell, or live a healthy life is a blessing in itself. Resultantly, we tend to become less and less grateful every passing day.
“One can find gratitude everywhere-or nowhere: it depends on one’s way of thinking.“
A person can find if one is grateful or not by asking just 3 simple questions:
- Do I spend more time complaining or praising things about things I have?
- Do I prefer to find faults in people or notice the qualities they have?
- Are people burdens or blessings for me?
To be grateful in life, one must have to understand that perfection is just an illusion. If one keeps on looking for a perfect moment to be thankful when one has everything one wants. Sadly, that moment will never arrive; there will always be something missing in one’s life. Hence, the perfect moment to show gratitude is now.
In Christianity, gratitude is simply an acknowledgment of almighty’s blessings on an individual. The generosity of God inspires followers to shape their lives around ideals. Therefore, gratitude in Christianity is regarded as a virtue that shapes one’s life: emotion, thoughts, and actions.
Little is Much When God is In It
Gratitude makes life ideal for human beings. It helps people to develop self-discipline. Self-respect and lead a simple life. Gratitude can’t be learned; it must be practiced. Everyone experiences gratitude, especially in moments of happiness. The best thing about gratitude is that it can be applied consciously to various situations in life. For instance, while eating a meal, talking to someone, or watching sceneries.
“In life, it is imperative to concentrate on the road rather than obsessively fantasize about the destination.”
A person creates all experiences in life and shapes the meaning of them. An individual determines how well the person will do in life, regardless of the circumstances. Focus on your capacity ignoring the possibilities. Therefore, one must acknowledge the power of one’s desired future. The outcomes of remaining grateful are gigantic. It depends on a person whether a person sees life as fulfilling or lacking. If one considers one’s life lacking, it results in the human spirit’s degeneration into materialistic machines. In life, it is imperative to concentrate on the road rather than obsessively fantasize about the destination.
In essence, being grateful refers to leading a simple, happy, and contented life. Rather than focusing on what could be, people must collectively strive to make the world a better place to live.
