Have you ever met someone whom you did a favor and he or she walked away without even thanking you for the concern shown by you?

The importance of saying ‘Thank you’ or expressing gratitude

Think of a situation mentioned above and recall how exactly you had felt at that moment of time. If you have never faced a situation such as above, please imagine a situation where you go out of your way to do something for someone known to you or for a total stranger. Now, assume that this person simply walks away without even looking at you. How would you feel?

I am quite sure that the incident stated above would definitely give you a feeling of total disappointment, if not outright anger and disgust.

Look at some happy people

Moving away from the situations given above, if you just look around for some truly happy people, you would probably find that such happy people are not really blessed with every material luxury item that you can think of. Nor are they always in a happy or satisfying state in life. They too have their own share of joys and sorrows; achievements and struggles; hurdles and challenges and are, generally, blessed with only a moderate amount of assets and comforts. Still, they manage to stay happy most, if not all, the time and are in a near blissful state, often thanking the Lord Almighty for whatever they have been blessed with. They also seem to be at peace with the people surrounding them and are grateful to them. They probably lead their lives with an attitude of gratitude!

The importance of ‘Thanksgiving’

Have you ever wondered as to why Thanksgiving scores very high in the whole of Europe and the United States in particular and in the entire world, in general?

Thousands of studies done by psychologists and others the world over have time and again proved that thinking about all that you need to appreciate and be grateful for in your life, boosts your sense of well-being and gives to you a happy feeling. Experts also say that when you appreciate someone or something and express gratitude to someone, your brain produces a higher amount of ‘happy-chemicals’ called Dopamine and as a result of this, you feel happy.

Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude, now!

If you have not already developed an Attitude of Gratitude, please start cultivating it right away. Initially, you may have to make a conscious effort to express gratitude. But soon, it will become a ‘default-function’ and will come to you in a natural way. It will, then, become a ‘way-of-life’ with you.

You can make a humble beginning by thanking your mother or wife for the nice cake that they baked for you or for the delicious meal that they cooked for you. You will soon find tens (and then hundreds) of things that you need to thank them for. And the journey will be a very pleasant one. Just look at the tremendous benefits of the attitude of gratitude!

Benefits of Attitude of Gratitude

• It gives instant happiness to you and to the other person.
• Thinking about the event later on, gives happiness to both the people concerned.
• It gives you a feeling of abundance in your life.
• It contributes to your well-being and to that of the other person as well.
• As it is a self-fulfilling attitude, you gain perennially from it.
• Your Attitude of Gratitude prompts many others to follow suit and gain throughout their lives; the cycle goes on.

Maintain a journal

Every day, in a small note-book or diary, you can note down two or three things that you ought to be grateful for. Soon, you will have a long enough list of your own. Don’t worry if many items get repeated. Just do it as a ritual. After some time, you will realize that simply turning back the pages will give you a tremendous amount of joy, happiness and confidence to do wonderful things in life.

Prriya Kaur
Life and Business Coach, NLP Trainer & Counselor