It certainly pays to have people nice to you and that positivity can simply be brought upon ourselves by us being good to everyone. Thanking people and expressing gratitude is one such trait that can be highly infectious.
Gratitude is not a skill but an attitude, which is not taught in any school. You only need to have the right aptitude to acquire, practice and spread cheer.
Once learnt, it stays with us forever. It is not just about being thankful to what we have but appreciating all the good things in life. Everyone’s spirits can be perked up by looking at good in bad and overlooking bad in good things.
Gratitude, says a report in ezinearticles, as a virtue can act as a shield if you let it, and it will protect you from all the bad in the world because once it is a part of who you are, no matter how much someone or something tries to upset you, you will be able to put it into perspective and lead a happy life without wallowing.
Spreading cheer also comes by way of complimenting. One can always compliment someone on things which can be small or big. But it is really important that we mean what we say or do. More than anything else it is the sheer joy of having made someone’s day very special in a very simple but effective way.
The report continues, ‘Compliment someone on something. It doesn’t matter whether the compliment is big or small; what matters is whether you really mean it. That compliment you make might earn you a compliment in return, get you a new friend, or just give you the joy of making someone’s day special.”
There are many ways by which one can express gratitude and show thankfulness. More often than not a just a warm and genuine thank you does it for us. It should not be a cursory mumbling but a ‘from the heart’ expression with a simple smile which is infectious and spreads cheer to everyone it comes across. Smile is the most easiest act to do, Remember that you are not fully dressed till you wear a smile.
Thankfulness and gratitude need not be in kind but kind words more than do the work. The ‘Fish Philosophy” as espoused in Pike Place Fish market, where the four cornerstones of making everyone’s life better amply demonstrates this philosophy.
Choose Your Attitude – Positivity, Thankfulness and Gratitude.
Play- Have fun in all interactions or look for something cheerful even in dull and dreary situations.
Make Their Day- Engage with people genuinely and focus on their positivity.
Be Present / Be There- Engage with what is now and here and enable everyone to make the most of any situation.
There are many ways one can cultivate the habit of gratitude. First and foremost is to pen down every day all the things and actions for which we are to be grateful. Over a period of time we will realise that that there is lifetime to be thankful for. Thanking cannot and should not wait. This should be conveyed instantly for it to have the genuine and desired impact.
Be happy with what one has in life. Aspiring for more in life should be not at the cost of being happy with what we have. Thank God and everyone around us not just for all small and large mercies but for simply being what you are and what we have.
