What is worth being grateful for in our lives? Is it worth remembering gratitude at all? Being grateful is a habit we must develop. The ability to appreciate what surrounds us is extremely valuable and allows us to be more satisfied with our lives. Gratitude has a positive effect on our well-being, and according to some studies conducted in this area, it can increase our sense of happiness in life by up to 25%. Practicing gratitude isn't always easy. Sometimes, in many daily activities, in many stressful situations, we forget to appreciate what we have.
We quickly get used to what we already have and simply don’t appreciate much. If you want to be happier in life, remember to be grateful. By practicing and feeling gratitude, you will begin to see and appreciate what is positive. Sometimes it's easier to focus on what we don't have than on what we already have. It's important to take some time and remember all these things to be grateful for that many of us take for granted and something obvious. What can you be grateful for? There are many reasons to be grateful.
GRATITUDE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF LIVING A LIFE OF SATISFACTION AND SUCCESS. JACK CANFIELD
What is the article about?
If you have asked yourself the questions: “what is gratitude?”, “how to be grateful?”, “why give thanks at all?” - it means you have turned in the right direction in your life .
Content
- What is gratitude
- Why you need to be grateful Ungrateful people are not appreciated
- The cycle of gratitude in nature
- Instructions 1. Letter of gratitude
Many people don’t even think about the purpose of saying their next “thank you.” For well-mannered people, this is just one of the habits that allow them to be cultured and fit organically into society, but gratitude has much more meaning.
The Legend of Prince Radegast
The legend about the feat of Prince Radegast has reached our time. This Bulgarian prince lived in the middle of the 7th century AD. His principality was disturbed for several decades by the Saracens: they attacked, slaughtered livestock, and killed people. He decided to make peace with the Saracens, and the Saracen Shah set a condition for him: to go on foot and bring the most precious thing he had. There was a great distance to their kingdom. The Shah's goal was to disgrace Radegast, then kill him, and seize his principality.
The prince fulfilled the condition and brought the most precious thing: at every step he said a word of gratitude to the enemies. Since his progress was controlled by the Saracen warriors, they heard everything. Radegast walked for more than two years and at every step he said a word of gratitude to his enemy on the principle of “but.” When Radegast reached the Shah, the soldiers laid down their arms in front of the prince, refusing to kill him. The words that the prince spoke have not been preserved, but a description of the feat itself remains in the Ipatiev Chronicle.
What is gratitude?
Gratitude is an expression of gratitude for a good deed. In any case, that’s what Wikipedia thinks, but it thinks it’s a bit crooked. You shouldn’t limit yourself to the word “good,” because it significantly limits gratitude (but more on that below).
So what is gratitude? In a nutshell: if something turns out to be useful for us, then we can evaluate it in return with our positive thoughts, words, and actions. This reaction is called gratitude. This is how we declare: “you’re cool, I’m very glad that you were useful to me.”
Why should you be grateful?
First of all, this is the only way to truly appreciate life and everything that is in it . There is no other way to value.
When you thank a person, you let him know that he was useful to you and you appreciated what he did for you. When you thank fate, the Universe, God, luck for something, you let the world know that you value it all.
The principle is painfully simple: when you appreciate what you have, it speaks of your maturity and your responsibility. Usually such a person receives even more over time. And those who don’t appreciate it don’t get anything. For reference, this mechanism is governed by the law of equilibrium of the Universe.
Ungrateful people don't count
Let us explain why nature does not like ungrateful people so much. Imagine that you have a very expensive diamond and you temporarily need to put it into storage. It is unlikely that you will entrust it to someone who does not realize the true value of the gemstone. You will choose a responsible person who understands jewelry or at least approximately knows how special and rare it is. Such a person simply cannot take your request to look after the stone lightly.
In life, everything is the same, only the Universe itself plays your role (or God, or the higher mind, or energy, or nature - the essence does not change from the name, the name depends only on what is easier for you to understand). Instead of a precious stone, she has in her hands a huge resource in the form of material and intangible wealth, various opportunities, human qualities, a variety of circumstances, and so on. Everything we can have in our lives is in the hands of the Universe .
Just as your stone is precious to you, the Universe treasures its limitless resources. But here is one difference: you can see your stone every day, and this will be enough for you, but the resources must work, otherwise they do not carry any value.
The Universe needs to somehow distribute them so that they are all involved. And there are people - beings who potentially know how to work with these resources. From birth, the Universe gives everyone equal opportunities, abilities and qualities.
What happens next? And then people are divided into two categories: grateful and ungrateful. After all, what gratitude is is when you clearly understand how much valuable things are given to you, so you manage your resources very carefully and according to their intended purpose.
The ungrateful do not know how to do this, because they cannot realize that they have something valuable in their hands. Now guess who will end up with more valuables over time? Therefore, the grateful gain, the ungrateful lose .
This principle can be understood at least from the word “thank”, which is divided into “grace to give”, and according to the law of attraction, what you give will come back.
Sounds like fantasy? If so, then you live in a fantasy world.
Gratitude is a universal remedy for any ailment. If you are grateful, then you cannot be a pessimist, you cannot be angry or selfish, and you cannot be anything bad . The feeling of gratitude always, over time, crowds out everything unnecessary, so a grateful person is more positive and optimistic (and if not, then over time he becomes so).
The cycle of gratitude in nature
If gratitude did not exist, then we would not do anything for each other , because the meaning of your actions towards others is lost. When you do something to a person that makes him burst with gratitude from the inside, you begin to treat yourself differently. With these actions we try to manifest and understand ourselves, to answer the question “who am I?!” Trying only for yourself, you won’t be able to find the answer.
This is how the exchange of thanks came about. You are told “thank you” so that you can understand who you are, and you give thanks so that others can gain the necessary knowledge about themselves . We cannot take and throw out any of the two directions, then the whole mechanism will stop working.
Here's a list of 50 things you can be grateful for.
Your life
Life is a priceless gift that you have received and you should be grateful for it.
Good health
Value your health, your body, your physical fitness. Many people begin to think about the value of health only when they lose it or get sick.
Modern medicine
Without advances in modern medicine, many people would not have a chance to survive.
The ability to perceive the world
Sight, hearing, smell, touch make you feel the beauty of the world around you.
Friends
Having people in your life that you can call your friends is very valuable.
6.Parents
Happy Senior Couple - Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis
Relationships with your parents aren't always great, but it's worth remembering that they gave you life and they're the reason you're here in this world.
Brothers and sisters
Relationships with family, relatives, brothers and sisters are different. However, we can often have the support of our brother or sister or other members of our family. If so, then you should appreciate this fact and be grateful for it.
Roof over your head
If you have a place to live and a place to call home, appreciate that you are not homeless.
Training opportunity
The opportunity to learn and develop your intellect is something to be grateful for.
The opportunity to rejoice and smile
Being able to smile and be happy makes us feel good. A world without a smile would be a sad and gloomy place.
Vehicles
The inventions of cars, airplanes, buses, etc. allow us to quickly travel long distances and discover previously unknown corners of the world.
Pure water
The fact that you have access to clean water that you can drink when you're thirsty is also something to be grateful for. Globally, tap water is a luxury.
Money
Many people do not have enough money, we want to have more money to buy things and fulfill our desires. You have money and you don't have to ask for it on the street. Be grateful for this.
Electricity
You have easy access to electricity, you can turn on the lights, heat or cool your food - this is a great convenience that you consider obvious. You will be surprised, but there are people who have never seen a simple light bulb.
Books
Books are an opportunity to enter another world and learn something new. Without books, the world would be a poorer place.
Sun
Cherish every sunrise and every sunset. The sun provides energy for life. Be grateful for the sun, because without it, food will not grow and your body will not feel its gentle and pleasant warmth.
Moon and stars
The moon and stars encourage us to dream and think about where we come from and where we are going.
Art
Painting, sculpture, graphics, and generally looking at various forms enrich our lives.
Music
Music is emotions. Music brightens our lives; the world would be incomplete without music.
Job
Even if you're not completely satisfied with your current job, being busy means someone thinks you're unique enough to hire you. A job also gives you the financial means to live. Unemployment creates many problems, you have less problems when you have a job. You can always try to change your job to a better one that pays better or is more satisfying.
Weekend
There is something special about the weekend. This is the time when you can do what you like. Spend time with family or friends. The choice is yours.
Holidays
An opportunity to take time away from work, recharge and rejuvenate your mind and body.
23. Ability to make decisions independently
Your choice - good or bad - is yours. The fact that you can decide for yourself, do what you want, and be able to choose among different options is a great gift.
freedom of speech
The ability to freely express your thoughts and feelings should never be taken for granted.
Voting right
Democracy and the opportunity to vote should not be assumed to be obvious and granted once and for all.
Trees and plants
Trees make the world a better place, give us fruits and produce oxygen, purify the air. Be grateful for the selfless trees that allow us to live.
Animals
Animals are more aware than we sometimes think. If you haven't already, it's time to start appreciating animals and their impact on our lives.
Diversity
The world would be a boring place without diversity. Diversity enriches our lives.
Entrepreneurial spirit
Some of the best inventions we use today stem from the entrepreneurial spirit of people who took a chance to solve a problem and make the world a better place.
Internet
Today we actually recognize the Internet as something obvious, but not so long ago the Internet did not exist at all. The Internet offers great opportunities, take advantage of them and be grateful that you have this opportunity. Many previous generations had significantly limited opportunities without access to the Internet.
Your mind
The ability to think is an extraordinary and exciting skill. Your mind has great potential that you must use. With your mind you can make plans, create ideas, hope and make decisions. Be grateful for your mind's ability to contribute to who you are.
Love
If you have someone to love and you are loved, then that is something wonderful. Be grateful for love and its positive impact on your life.
Children
Children are the future. Surrounded by the love of their parents, they are the most valuable treasure.
Errors
Mistakes are proof that we have tried to do something in life. If we never made mistakes, we wouldn't learn much, so for that we should be grateful.
Fresh air
The ability to breathe freely is invaluable. If we neglect air purity, the consequences will be very serious.
Peace and security
You should be grateful that you do not live in a state of constant danger. Peace and security are very important and, despite appearances, they are easy to lose.
"Services" in the form
The police, fire brigade, army, ambulance and other uniformed services that work on your behalf deserve our gratitude. Thanks to their service, we can sleep easier and they can help us when necessary.
Selfless help
Appreciate that sometimes someone completely stranger to you will do something good for you and show selfless help. Help someone - yourself. Good returns.
Time
Be grateful for every minute, hour, next day that you can live.
Fire
There is something magical about fire. You can't underestimate fire - fire gives a feeling of warmth and light. On the other hand, he can turn into an unbridled element.
Pain
Nobody likes pain. The pain can be terrible. However, without pain, it would be difficult for us to appreciate the joy of life and the state in which we do not feel pain. Be grateful for every day without pain.
Awakening
An alarm clock that rings in the morning means you get a new chance. The fact that you woke up in the morning and have another day ahead of you is something you should be grateful for.
Sea and mountains
The beauty and relaxation that the sea and mountains offer us is something to be grateful for. Thanks to them, we can admire amazing views and have a great time.
Sewerage
The fact that sewer systems exist is a great invention that makes our lives much easier. This is worth appreciating because not everyone can benefit from such seemingly obvious amenities.
The shops
The fact that we don't have to rely on food stamps or other things that help you live is a great convenience for which you should be grateful.
Fun and entertainment
Entertainment gives us the opportunity to relax and enjoy life. It makes us smile and feel better.
Knowledge Exchange
Appreciate the universality of knowledge and access to information, as well as the people who share knowledge with you and others. Be grateful that someone dedicates their time to learn something new for you.
Food
Appreciate that you have something to eat and are not hungry.
Strength and courage
Be grateful for the strength and courage that allows you to go through life. To be able to face your problems and overcome your sorrows, achieve your goals and realize your dreams.
Life problems
Without life's problems, we would not be the people we are today. Every test for us is a chance to become a better person, a better version of ourselves. Be grateful for every new challenge because it builds your strength and character.
How to be grateful
Before you think about how to be grateful, you need to appreciate the magnitude of the tragedy and understand how grateful you are now. This is quite simple to understand. Ungrateful people are often offended by life and constantly upset about what happens to them; they are rarely satisfied with themselves and often complain about injustice.
If you have now recognized yourself, then you don’t have to read further - you can’t be saved. We are just joking, but ingratitude can be overcome at any of the most difficult stages.
Only observant people know how to say “thank you . So take your eyes off the floor and take a look at the world around you. We always have something to be grateful for, and this list is quite large. To begin with, we have life, we can be grateful to everything just for this until the end of our days. Just because everyone around us has life, it never ceases to be the greatest gift.
Every person has so many opportunities to reveal their potential, an infinity of different activities, people, circumstances, feelings. How can you be indifferent to the fact that you have been given life, how can you not be grateful for it?!
The world around us is so multifaceted; eternity is not enough to study and understand it. Our problem is that we got used to it, became absent-minded observers and stopped noticing the miracles around us.
Let's return to the point where Wikipedia was wrong. The highest skill is the ability to give thanks not only for good, but also for evil. To understand this, you need to have an idea that everything in the world is relative, and here we will explain in just a couple of sentences.
From the point of view of experience and benefit for a person, the negative has as much meaning as the positive , so it would be completely wrong to deprive this moment of your gratitude. It’s so touching sometimes to hear these statements a la: “Yoly-yay, there are so many problems in this life, how can you be grateful?!” - so we should be grateful that there are difficulties due to which all the conditions are provided for our growth.
Regardless of whether you are a grateful person or not, we offer two simple exercises. They won't take up much time in your busy life schedule, but the results will be great if you do them correctly.
Instructions 1. Letter of gratitude
- So let's write a letter of gratitude. It should include everything you can say “thank you” for in your life, from the essential things to the little things like a hot shower or a cool shirt.
- You can start by saying, “I am grateful to have life.” You can address someone specifically (including yourself), for example: “Thank you, mom, for being so kind.” Thank you for everything: people, circumstances, material things, your qualities, nature, appearance, negativity, and so on. Try to explain why exactly you thank this or that thing, person, circumstance. Make the letter as complete and comprehensive as possible so that there is nothing to add.
- Once a month, re-read your essay (more often you should do this only if you wish) and if you see that you can supplement it, then be sure to supplement it indicating the date.
- An indicator of effective adherence to instructions is a gradual increase in the volume of writing, which indicates the development of observation skills.
Instruction 2. How to be grateful every day
- Twice a week you need to find a few minutes when you have the time and desire to exercise.
- Your task is to thank for everything positive and negative that happened to you over the past week. There is no need to deceive yourself with phrases like: “I have nothing to say this time.” Even if the end of the world is on the horizon, there are at least 10 reasons why you could express your gratitude in the last three days .
- If you wish, you can thank for the most significant things from the thank you letter.
- It is important not to turn following instructions into simply reciting a memorized text. It would be nice to feel joy when you give thanks, then the text will be born by itself, and you won’t have to invent it. Feelings of joy and warmth, by the way, are the main indicator of correctly following the instructions.
- Don't thank if you don't want to . It is very important here to experience positive emotions in the process; if this cannot be achieved today, then there is no need to force yourself.
- Don't stop at exercising just twice a week. People come to this point on their own after some time if they do everything right, but just in case, let’s explain: thank you every time the opportunity arises. If you got to work on time, thank yourself for this: “Thank you, I’m great at timing.” If you had a good conversation with someone, or it was a pleasure to work with a colleague, or today is a sunny day, thank you immediately and a little later you will be in hellish shock at how much life gives.
- Don't automatically thank . We have all already formed a mindset that allows us to simply say words without attaching meaning to them, so there is no need to do that. Gratitude should be a conscious action. You can tap into this cool state when you realize that you simply cannot help but say “thank you,” and not because of your upbringing or other beliefs, but because you are bursting with a feeling of gratitude.
- It's best to say thank you out loud (where possible). What is said out loud is already much more material than what remains in the mind; an article about the fact that words are material will help you understand this in detail.
- Well, if you can respond with action in gratitude, then this method will be the most appropriate.
Is gratitude innate or acquired?
The feeling of gratitude is something that appears in infancy. That sacred moment when the baby drinks milk from the mother's breast. With pleasure comes appreciation. And she is the basis of gratitude.
Then we grow up. We become part of the social world. And we begin to think that appreciation and gratitude are simply part of good manners. Sincere gratitude becomes inaccessible. Why is this happening?
Due to a feeling of scarcity: time, resources, attention. Because of the fear of not being on time, not getting something, not surviving. Due to settings:
- Life is complicated! You have to fight for everything!
- What I have is too little! I want more!
- I don't need what I have. I want what others have!
- I have to get this. They must give me what I need because I deserve it!
It is important to relearn gratitude. This is only possible through daily practice. Only by practicing gratitude every day can we feel true, sincere gratitude.
It is probably difficult to describe it simply in words, fitting it into terminology or criteria. It will come out too dry and limited.
Metaphorically, it could be compared to a constant flow of light within. As it spreads throughout the body, it gives lightness and relaxation. Warmth fills every cell. From this feeling comes quiet joy, calmness and acceptance.
Such a flow can be developed. Maybe at first it will be a small source that will need to be constantly looked after. Cleanse it of contamination with envy, fear, and the desire for perfection. Over time it will grow and spread. But even then it will need to be supported. By adding heat and light particles to it.
