Even when I think I have nothing to be grateful for, I think of my life, my growth, the obstacles I’ve scaled through and where I am right now.
I see that girl who used to be so scared of showing up, scared of being seen, scared of being judged, scared of being misunderstood. SIGH. Now seeing that same girl I used to be, metamorphose into someone confident, someone who shows up everyday. Someone dabbling in things she didn’t think she was capable of and excelling while at it, is a lot to be grateful for.
That girl who didn’t think she had a lot to offer is now the same girl confident in her own strength. A girl who now knows how valuable she is and how much she really has to offer the world.
How to be grateful
The secret to being grateful is to find joy and happiness in all the little things we seemingly overlook everyday. The small wins and the daily spurts of growth because that’s where contentment comes from. This doesn’t mean you need to embrace mediocrity. It just basically means that you have chosen to be aware, fully present and relish every moment you pass through in life.
It means being mindful and fully conscious of the things you take for granted everyday such as the air you breathe. How it passes through your nostrils. And how it travels till it reaches it’s final destination in your lungs where it gets effectively reproduced to nourish your whole being. It also means being fully present in your inner mind.
Being aware of the people around you such as- the roadside trader you exchange greetings with on your way to work, your family or friends who can’t help but check on you every single day etc. And also being thankful for the abilities that you possess because happiness ultimately comes from within. It is really not tied to any external factor even if we have been conditioned to believe it does.
No matter what is currently happening around you, you can choose happiness instead of sadness. Because the choice of what to occupy your inner mind with lies with you. And it’s something we all need to be intentional about.
I once used to keep a gratitude journal.
A kind of book where I wrote something about each and every person I called my friend. A day to day experiment where I picked one random person every day and wrote from my heart why I am really grateful I have them in my life. And what significant impact they’ve made on me. This little write ups, I went ahead to put up on my WhatsApp story everyday, and attached the person’s picture.
After a month of doing this, I realized just how much every little gesture mattered. And how sharing these journal entries with the actual people I wrote about, made them feel cherished, appreciated and happy. For me, I got to understand that being grateful helps you come to terms with just how much you have. And how abundant the blessings surrounding you are.
So rather than reminding yourself of your failures and where you’re yet to get to, gratitude helps you function well as a full complete human that you are. It’s a route to personal freedom and helps you put your day to day life into perspective.
Now I ask, what or who are you most grateful for ?
