“Be Grateful & Everything Will be Great.”

“You can never ever make any progress in your life, unless and until you appreciate the assets you already possess!”

People tend to believe that, happy people are grateful.

“Well, it’s pretty simple. When you are happy, you are grateful.”

But think for it for a moment. Isn’t it the other way around?

There are a lot of people who have everything that it takes to be happy and yet they are miserable because they are seeking for something else or more of the same. And there are also people who have been through life’s toughest challenges and yet they’re extremely happy.

So, what’s the difference?

Gratitude.

It is not the happiness that makes us grateful, but it is the gratefulness that makes us happy! We must learn to live ‘gratefully’.

In my sessions, I tell people if you develop an attitude of gratitude, it will lead you to a multitude of treasure. And to this, people tend to say something like, “Aditya, you know what? Everything is almost fine, but sometimes, I feel miserable and overwhelmed. And I just cannot sustain my happiness, no matter what I do.”

Negative emotions like fear, stress, frustration, depression, and anger are, unfortunately, very common and close to us these days.

It doesn’t take much to feel frustrated and overwhelmed. We’ve given our freedom of well-being in the hands of things and people we have no control over.

But gratitude is an emotion that can help you sustain your happiness for a longer run.

Whenever you are grateful, you cannot be stressed, anxious, miserable, depressed, and overwhelmed at the same time.

Because when you are in a grateful state, deeply appreciating something from your heart and soul, you cannot be angry or frustrated simultaneously. Thus, it is a beautiful state. It is a miraculous state, whenever you are grateful, you cannot feel negative at the same time.

And, whenever I suggest people this technique of expressing gratitude, appreciating the assets they already possess, they feel like they have nothing to be grateful for.

“Aditya, I have nothing in my life to be grateful for. Everything is messed up. Everything is miserable. I’ve screwed up a lot! I have bills yet to be paid, I have a lot of month left at the end of money, I haven’t yet paid off my bank loan, my house rent is yet to be paid, my children are misbehaving all the time, they don’t obey my single instruction. I have messed it up all! And I possess no assets at all to be appreciated.”

They have a bunch of things to complain, but they can’t figure out just one thing to appreciate, to be grateful for.

There are tons of things in life to be grateful for if we allow ourselves to be. Your heart! Think of it for a moment, isn’t it a beautiful gift? You have not earned it at all. Something, a universal power loved you, believed in you and gave you this precious gift in your life.

Right now put your one hand on your heart, breathe deeply and express gratitude for this wonderful gift which is beating day and night to keep you alive! It works 24×7, even when you are sleeping. It beats a hundred thousand times a day, without you even have to think about it. Don’t you think it is a precious gift to be cherished? To be appreciated and to be grateful for?

There are countless things in life to be grateful for if we allow ourselves to be. I would love to share a beautiful poem which once crossed my reading road. Here we go!

“LORD FORGIVE ME WHEN I WHINE (COMPLAIN)”

“Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely girl, with golden hair.
I envied her.
She seemed so beautiful, she seemed so glad.
And I wished if I was as fair as she was.
But things changed when suddenly she rose to leave.
I saw her hobbled down the aisle.
She had only one leg and wore a crutch.
Yet, as she passed, she smiled!
Oh! God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two legs, the world is mine!
Later on, when I stopped to buy some candies, the man who sold, had
such a charm!
I talked with him, he seemed so glad.
If I were late, it’d do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me, “I thank you, you have been so kind. It’s
nice to talk with folks like you. You see” he said, “I’m blind.”
Oh! God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two eyes! The world is mine!
Later on, while walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of
blue.
He stood and watched the others play. He did not know what to do.
I stopped for a moment and then I said,
“Why don’t you join the others dear?”
He looked ahead without a word.
And then I knew, he couldn’t hear.
Oh! God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two ears, the world is mine!
With eyes to see the sunsets glow,
With ears to hear what I’d know,
With feet to take me where I should go,
Oh! God, forgive me when I whine!
I’ve everything! The world is mine!
-UNKNOWN

“Be grateful for what you already possess and you’ll
have more…
Keep complaining about the things you don’t have
and you will lose more.”
-Aditya Bhavsar