Why Living with an Attitude of Gratitude can make a huge difference

What is an Attitude of Gratitude was the question put to me when I was in the midst of a discussion with an acquaintance, who had happened to read the Tag Line in my Blog. I spent the better part of a hour explaining the importance of this unselfish habit that one can develop in order to live through your days as a better Being.
In my journey of life I have noticed that people who are most at peace and stress free, are those who do not clutter their mind too much and importantly, Live with an Attitude of Gratitude. According to me everyone can inculcate this habit which is extremely empowering and satisfying. Some of the reasons I feel that one should practice this habit now more than at any other time of life are –

1.Because it reminds you of the positive things in your life: The most important thing is to notice what is positive around us, to first acknowledge people, things and environment around us for which we are really grateful.Once we begin to be more aware of things  around us then  we tend to develop a habit of first looking at what’s good in a situation rather than the other way around. imagine that by inculcating this way of looking at things, you will ensure that you are half way towards a stress free life.
2.Because it does turns negatives to positives: If you have serious issues at work then first be grateful that you do have a job in hand.  If you have  challenges in your relationship, then be thankful for it making you a better person. Once we develop this habit at looking at a  negative situation through an invisible glass of something positive then it makes a huge difference.
3.Because it reminds you of what’s important: Are you stressed out due to the mountain of bills at your disposal which needs to be paid immediately, then be thankful for the fact that you  actually have a roof over your head. Sometimes we  take these things for granted and realise the  actual value of it when it goes away from us. Always remember “never to forget the forest for the trees”.
4.Because It reminds you to be Thankful to others: A simple gesture of saying Thank You to  somebody who is a stranger can make a big difference to your mindset. How many of you have noticed people who just walk away from a person even though the situation did call for a simple thing as saying Thank You. I am not sure about this, but keeping a count on the number of times you say Thank you might help work on increasing it. When one does blurt out the words Thank You I have noticed that most of the people feel happy and even though many times I do not get any kind of acknowledgement, I still continue to say thank you to the support staff in the areas I do visit on most of the days. The crux is that once a person you are engaging with is happy then eventually you are happy. This is the law of the universe and nobody can disagree on this.

How to Live a Life of Gratitude:
Well it does not take a herculean effort by someone to lead a life of gratitude. To begin with even a simple gesture of saying Thank you will make a big difference. I have realised that most of the people are not very comfortable with saying the magic words –  ‘Thank You’ and if you notice you will  realise that even accepting a Thank you is a big difficulty for many. Some of the things according to me which might take you on to the road to being Thankful is

1.Morning Gratitude session:
Just by being yourself and thanking the universe for providing most of the things that we take for granted is a good way to begin your day. This habit which has become a part of my daily ritual does not take more than 5 minutes but what it does do to me for the whole day is worth its time in Gold.

2.Say Thank You:Cultivate the habit of saying thank you to people around you. Even if it is a small thing someone has done, always acknowledge their effort, say the words and most importantly mean it.

3.Call to say Thanks: Sometimes during your gratitude sessions you might recollect someone having done something nice for you. Remember to call them and thank them for what they have done. It would be even better if you can meet them in person  and convey the message. Some  times I  send an email specifically thanking the person for their kind gesture. Always make it a point to keep it short and simple especially when you communicate through mails. And of course please run a spell check before sending it.

4.Give Thanks for the negatives in Life: Sometime acknowledging the negatives in our life and seeing what we as a person learnt from it will help us look at positives in everything. Let’s accept that there is always something positive in every situation and learning from   a negative situation requires a change of mindset. Problems can always be considered as an opportunity to learn and be more creative.

5.Learn a gratitude prayer: There are many prayers available in both religious and non religious forms which one can print or use as a screen saver. There is one available for everyone and if not, one can write his/her own gratitude prayer.
I would like to share one which I found to be non religious and can be practised by just about anybody.

Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfilment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~

I hope you will take some positives from this article on being Thankful. As always i would like to hear from you on your thoughts either on my email coach@satishrao.in or on my face book fan page www.facebook.com/B.N.satishrao.