The Significance Of Gratitude
Each of us is blessed in many ways. We have areas in our lives that are functioning well, which don’t get the attention they deserve — we take them for granted. By constantly trying to fix or solve what’s not working, we often forget to count our blessings.
Growing up, I wanted things to be a certain way — if I feared that something was wrong or that I might have made a mistake, I felt compelled to sort it out or solve it. I couldn’t tolerate and just be with the negative scenarios.
Getting into this pattern of behaviour, I reached a place where I was constantly unsettled — I developed a pattern of obsessive thinking and my brain created negative or fearful scenarios out of nothing. I found it challenging to find joy in day to day activities, as even the simple tasks became a cause for worry.
At first, I couldn’t stand it. It was extremely unbearable and I started looking for some quick remedy. But life had different plans for me. It showed me that I had to go through the abyss so that I may become equipped to face life. I am on that Hero’s Journey now.
It is fair to say that our brain is not wired to focus on what’s going well in our lives. We don’t dwell on the good things as much as we do on what we think is wrong.
This brain function of constantly looking out for and neutralizing a threat or negative situation has evolutionary roots. So we don’t need to blame anyone or anything, but rather focus on what we can do to make life enjoyable and worth living.
And so, what we focus on becomes important. This is where the practice of gratitude comes in. By acknowledging the good things in life and expressing our gratitude for them, we can rewire our brains.
I have been practising gratitude for over two hundred days now — listing out three things I am grateful for before bed every night. This practice has helped me feel more powerful and connected to myself and to the world around me.
Even the challenging parts of life have a reason for being there. Being able to experience both is what makes us human. And so, expressing our gratitude to these not-so-pleasant parts of life is crucial too.
Each one of us wants to feel good. When we practice focusing on what we have and what works in our lives, we change our patterns of thinking and feeling. Finding fulfilment in day-to-day tasks gives us more reasons to feel grateful.
There are certain things that aren’t in our control, like what thoughts can come up in our minds, the outcome of a situation, or what other people think or do. What is in our control though, is our response or attitude towards our experience. So why not look at life and its experiences as a blessing and live life on our terms?
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Thanks, and see you next week!