Do you feel grateful for this life of yours? Do you wake up every day and feeling the joy of asking “Let’s see what miracles life is preparing me beyond my imagination?” Does gratitude accompany you?
If not, I have some serious news for you. It is your responsibility to feel uplifted. Do not expect others to come to you and do this for you.
No worries, this is not that hard. The shortest path to feeling alive and joyful is the feeling of gratitude.
Let’s check more in detail, what this means. Are you ready?
What gratitude means?
It is a “state of thankfulness”. It is “the acceptance of the fact that someone has been kind to you as well as paying thanks to him.” It is the gesture of showing appreciation for a kind act and thanking for it.
How do you explain gratitude?
It pops up when someone has done an act of kindness to you or helped you in some way. And you acknowledge and admire that and thank them for that. This acknowledgment plus thankfulness make the gesture.
Gratitude does not need to occur only on something big in kindness. Any small act of kindness needs to be appreciated and thanked.
I feel gratitude toward life mostly as a result of unseen things. I see and hear and feel that life is continuously interacting with me. Feeling supported and loved by life itself and as a result, I feel the awe and thank life.
Is gratitude an emotion?
Anything that can be expressed is an emotion. Thus, gratitude is an emotion because it is evident only when expressed. Whether you thank verbally, give a face gesture of gratefulness, or a nod of the head in thankfulness, it expresses gratitude. It is a thing that you must make a person feel, and therefore, it comes as an emotion.
Gratitude to God
We are blessed with so many things that if we start to thank God for them, we cannot thank Him enough. The breath we take, the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the nose to smell, the list goes on. Our body parts, our loved ones, the house we have, education, career, everything is a blessing of God. If I start to write for every blessing, I will write and write, but it never ends.
Thinking that how much we are blessed fills our hearts with much thankfulness for God. We feel so much loved by Him. And so, it becomes the right of God to be thanked by us. Therefore, from this angle, gratitude becomes a kind of worship. It becomes our acceptance of God as our one and only Guardian and the Ultimate Provider. And hence, it becomes our responsibility to pay gratitude for all His blessings.
Every time you come across something good, whether small or big, thank God for that. You will feel better and more blessed.
What is an example of gratitude?
Be thankful to every person serving you. Some examples are:
- Be thankful to a waiter who brings you food.
- Towards your house-help.
- Be grateful to your assistant at work for his service.
- Be thankful for the person who brings you coffee at work
- Thankful to your parents.
- Be thankful to the one who cooks food for you.
- Be thankful to your partner.
Also, some examples towards God can be:
- Be grateful for your life, good health.
- Admire and thank God for a good career and job.
- Feel blessed to have a home, your loved ones around you.
- Be extremely thankful for the blessings of God every time.
There are a lot of things to be thankful for if only we are conscious of it. The more you practice, the more conscious you become. This is the secret of feeling it.
What is the difference between gratitude and gratefulness?
Gratefulness is the gesture of appreciation only. Someone does something good to you and you simply appreciate that. On the other hand, gratitude has the essence of appreciation as well as giving thanks truly to the helper. Hence, gratitude is something big. It has a much wider and deep effect.
How do you express gratitude in words?
Words coming straight from the heart create magic. Speak your truth. When you feel grateful, let it be expressed by you.
Gratitude can be expressed in any way. You can simply thank for the kindness, say something in detail. You can choose beautiful and heart-touching phrases to express your appreciation. Some examples are:
- Thank you so much for your help.
- I will always remember your act of kindness.
- I am touched by this humane gesture of yours, highly appreciate and value that. And I thank you with the depth of my heart.
Words are powerful when chosen wisely and used correctly. With the right zeal and great words, you can show your gratitude in a much satisfying manner.
Every language has different ways to convey gratitude. But love, kindness, and thankfulness are the universal languages understood everywhere by everyone.
Living in gratitude
Gratitude makes you humble. It makes you a soul who is understanding and appreciative of compassion, kindness, and care. When you pay gratitude towards someone, you also become a reason for a rise in kindness. It is natural for a thing to increase when it is appreciated and admired. People are encouraged to do more good when appreciated and thanked. With the spirit of thanking the people, your life becomes more positive, humble, and appreciative of others. Also, the thankfulness to God makes you spiritually content and close to God.
Gratitude is the attitude
Incorporating the flavor of gratitude in your manner not only enhances your connection with the people but also satisfies your soul. It brings positivity and down-to-earth mannerism in you and diminishes any kind of arrogance and pride within.
Gratitude is a must
The feeling of gratitude is contagious both inside and outside. The more you express it- does not need to be to others, even expressing to yourself is enough- the more you feel grateful.
If you want to feel the joy of this unique life of yours, just try to express your gratitude for 2 minutes every day.
Before sleeping, ask yourself this one question: “What I am grateful for today?” And answer it to yourself by scanning your day. Continue this little ritual for 7 days. You will be amazed by the result.
To enjoy life and feel alive, gratitude is a must.
How to show gratitude?
Learn to appreciate each person who adds value to your life. Be it a restaurant waiter, a cleaner, your maid, or a salesman, thank them for their service. Be kind towards every person that serves you in some way. Simple thanking words will brighten their faces and your heart too. Wherever you go, wherever you are, try to show gratitude towards every human being who makes your life easy.
Take it as a little game on your own. Make this a little mindfulness exercise. Slow down to see the beauties around you and once you realize and feel the appreciation, express it, just with two little words: thank you! Let this thank you create connections with those around you.
Science of being grateful
Psychologists performed research on two groups of people to see the impact of gratitude on their lives. The people who felt and wrote about gratitude were more positive and optimistic than those who discussed only their adversities. This proves that gratitude has a powerful impact on a person’s well-being. It makes our minds healthy and introduces contentment in life.
Mindfulness and gratefulness
How one can bring the spirit of gratitude in her life? The answer is simple as always. By being more mindful.
This is what worship is for me. Enjoying and appreciating and feeling the gratitude in this beautiful life.
God says according to this hadith that:
“I was a hidden treasure, loved to be known, and I created realms to be known.”
Hadith
Ibn Arabi says that
“Human is as for God, just as the pupil is for the eye, the view is thanks to a human.”
Ibn Arabi
From the connection of this hadith and the quote of Ibn Arabi, I feel like a human is created to experience this hidden treasure, being aware, feel the joy and let the gratitude happen as a result of it.
Yes, but how all this will be? By slowing down dear, by being aware. Doing more of what makes your soul happy. By prioritizing your inspiration and joy. Then gratitude will come and you will feel alive with joy.
Happiness and being grateful
Gratitude and happiness are directly proportional to each other. A thankful person contains a happy soul. Moreover, your gratitude will make the other person feel good and appreciated. It will also make you feel contented, pleased and keeps you in high spirits.
What is a token of gratitude?
A “token of gratitude” is a small gift given as a gesture of gratitude. It may be tangible, or it may be some action taken on behalf of the receiver. As to pay gratitude, here are some things that you can do:
- Send a beautiful thank-you message.
- Make a thank-you card and write a good note on it.
- Send some flowers as a goodwill gesture with a thank-you note.
- Buy a gift for that person at your convenience.
- Give chocolates as a thanking gesture.
If you want your life to change for the better and forever, never ever lose any opportunity to express your gratitude and use the token of gratitude.
Maybe these articles could help you: 50 creative good deed ideas and how to be a secret angel.
Conclusion
I am feeling grateful for life every day and taking this feeling as a compass for me. I am checking every day with me to see if I am feeling grateful and if I do not feel grateful, no worries, I am asking myself again, what is the deal, what I can do for myself.
Feeling grateful is not about having all the time very happy things happening around you.
It is about seeing the beauty in everything, even when “shit happens”.
To feel blessed and feel grateful every day, you need to make your gratefulness muscle work baby.
I will talk more about how you can make this muscle works. It will be a lot of fun. Coming soon!
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Gratitude Board!
