The need for gratitude can never be overemphasized. Right from the big things of life to the seemingly little things, are all worthy to be grateful for. A lot of people tend to forget the little things of life but they do not know that they hold a great importance in someone's life. Take this instance: when you are thirsty, you will understand the value of the little cup of water that you are offered. It may look so little but it can go a long way to have a very huge effect on you. In the same way, the many things we tend to overlook and not grateful for, are part of what make big influence in our lives.
There are things that you may not even know that they are blessings and as a result, you may not deem it fit to be grateful for. A lot of people think that they are alive by right. Well, just to let you know, it is all a matter of privileges. At least, the gift of life is among what should form the basis of our thankfulness. Of course, when you have life, then everything is possible and there will be hope of a better tomorrow. Trust me, there are lots of people that were better qualified than you, better placed in the society than you, richer and more influential than you that have lost their lives. If you think the gift of life is not worthy of gratitude, then think again.
Another reason to be thankful is for the blessings you have received. Obviously, there are things you enjoy as the benefits of living, which you should be grateful for. Even if you may not have gotten everything that you ever wished for, at least there are things you have gotten plus the things you never wished for. It is true that you may have even lost a couple of things along the line, in the journey of life, but one thing is sure; you have not lost every single thing you have. In this case, there is still something that you can look back at and be thankful. Do not allow anyone to make you feel like you are not doing well in life. As long as you are doing better than you used to be yesterday, then you are doing well.
If you will be able to look deeply at your life and then focus on the bright side of life, without comparing yourself with others, you will see a lot of reasons that will make you to not only be happy but to be thankful. One of the things that normally becloud people from seeing how blessed they are is comparison. Most times, when you compare yourself with others, you only compare with what they want you to see, but you may not be aware of the flip side of their lives. More so, when you compare, you lose sight of your own blessings and you may think that you are not living up to par. The truth is that you do not have to be like anyone else before you know that you are making progress.
I once saw a little video clip that showed me why comparison is not good, because it prevents one from appreciating what they have. In the video, someone was stuck in the traffic in his Lamborghini Aventador and just as he was thinking of how to get past the traffic, a chopper flew pass him. He became sad that he could not effort a helicopter and that was why he was stuck in the traffic, but he never realized how blessed he was to even own a Lambo. As this was happening, someone on Toyota Venza passed and saw the nice Lambo and also felt sad that he could not afford one. But he did not also appreciate the fact that at least, he could afford a nice Venza jeep.
At that moment, someone on bicycle rode pass and saw the Venza and said to himself "only if I owned one of these." He felt sad that he could not. It was then that someone trekking with his legs was about to feel bad that he could not afford a bicycle, at least so that it will help him with transportation, but something happened. As he was about to feel sad and ungrateful, he looked beside him and saw a crippled person that sat and begged by the roadside. It was at that point that he realized that he should be grateful for what he has. Then he simply said in his mind "I'm grateful for my legs." The other people only looked at what they did not have but never took time to be grateful and appreciative of what they have.
In our daily lives, if you try to keep your attention on what is working for you, not what you think is not working, you will not need further encouragement to be happy and grateful. You will agree with me that what is working for you is even more than what is not working for you. If you have this in mind, you will realise how easy it will be to be thankful.
Thanks for reading
