We have so much to be grateful for in life. Gratitude is something which makes us more beautiful. If I ask you what is gratitude, what would you say? To me it means being thankful for every little thing you have. It means appreciating the tiniest gesture of others that makes you happy. It means taking great pleasure in the simplest things and acknowledging everything that you receive from others. Gratitude is much more than just saying thank you, it is the way you look at the world. Everything is beautiful when you start being grateful.
HOW GRATITUDE HAS TOUCHED ME
As a student at Touching Lives I have learnt a lot of things, gratitude is one of them. It started with a gratitude-cards making task, where a group of students made little cards for our parents thanking them for all they do for us. This was the initial step. Later, it was about giving thank-you letters and cards to our friends, siblings and teachers. This was when I was in my primary school.
Then came the time when we felt like grown-ups. We took our gratitude to another level, where we had made many cards together and went out for a gratitude campaign. On this day, we went to a nearby national park. The group of us scattered around and gave the cards to all the policemen, sweepers, caretakers and everyone else working over there. It was wonderful to see the smiles on their faces and I continued being grateful for every single atom of life because ultimately, it is me who feels happy and it’s you who’ll be happy too! So what are you waiting for? Go start your gratitude story.
HOW CAN YOU DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE?
Your gestures of gratitude don’t have to be large or magnanimous. Even the littlest thoughtful acts can mean the world to someone, and eventually it will all add up.
- Write a letter to someone you know and let them know why you are grateful to them.
- You can start writing a gratitude journal. Before you go to sleep, just writing any five or even two things for which you feel glad, on that day. On the rough days you can simply write the regular things, you know, like the fact that you had enough food to eat today, or that you were able to get through the day in spite of the tough circumstances. For instance, when my day is not that great, I simply write, ‘today, I am thankful that I have my mom with me, I have this life, I have my siblings and friends.’ It can be anything you have.
- Practice being grateful for everything without being choosy, and appreciate everything that comes your way. Even the rough days give you experiences, these experiences can be a reason for being grateful for those rough days.
Once we start being grateful, we will attract positive things and life will certainly look different and more live-able, bigger, and will be something to cherish.
I am grateful for you too. Yes YOU. Thank you.
Sonam, who is one of our community leaders at Touching Lives, proudly shares her dream of being a dance choreographer, an Air hostess, a Model, and an RJ. She is currently studying in SY BMM and regularly contributes to the Touching Lives blog.