As part of my weekly interactions with my team, I decided to talk about gratitude today. One of my theories is that people are not motivated enough on jobs or in life in general because they are not happy with what they have. They have all their focus on something else, something better. Naturally they end up feeling quite dull and demotivated. In fact one could say they lose a lot of energy in all these conflicting thoughts. How does one get them to bring a sense of gratitude - this was a challenge.
The key is to feel grateful. One, it makes you feel content and happy that your life has not gone waste. That in itself puts you in a good mood to go ahead with spirit, good humour and energy. Two, it gives you a tool to buy in the good will and good wishes of so many people around you. Expressing gratitude by saying a simple 'thank you', makes the other person feel recognised and responsible. For example, imagine a class where a mediocre lecturer is teaching and everyone is cribbing about how bad he is. But let us say that one of the students tells the lecturer how grateful she is for the lecture and how much she appreciates the effort. Chances are that the lecturer will come better prepared for that one student. Gratitude actually has the power of making mediocre people brilliant. On the other hand a resentful, cynical and supercilious behavior or attitude will demotivate a brilliant lecturer into a mediocre one. Same goes with life!
Everyone likes to be important. When someone makes you feel important by acknowledging your presence, your contribution, your goodness, your best nature is suddenly awakened. Gratitude unlocks the best in everyone's nature. He or she feels more responsible instantly and starts doing better, starts living up to the expectations of the others. That is what awards do, raise the bar and make the person more responsible. And gratitude is an award.
Funnily, by being grateful, you make the recipient of your gratitude take up your cause and responsibility. You get his or her help. You get them to motivate you when you are down because they feel as if they own your cause. Your life becomes much more simpler by simply saying thank you. You get more help. You get more good wishes because the others now want you to succeed. You get their prayers and you now have a friendly world full of support and good wishes. So, if your world does not appear to be supportive and friendly, use the gratitude key. It unlocks all doors they say.
To get ahead, to move forward, to have a peaceful, contented, prosperous life, stop taking the world for granted. The moment you take anything for granted it stops all good wishes, prayers and active help from that quarter. There will be assistance but only to the extent that is needed, without soul. But the moment you are grateful for all that happened in the past, all in the present, you see how everyone and everything starts contributing to your growth. Now the whole world takes up your cause!
Now does gratitude mean that one gives up all desire to get better. No, gratitude is the platform of contentment that gives you more energy and clarity to achieve what you really want. It is the best way to achieve more and get better things from life.
It's an amazing paradox. If you can just keep it simple, if you get the ego out of the way and thank everyone for what they did, everyone steps up and does more. If you clam up and blame everyone for all that is happening to you and around you, no one will step up. Then why do we still complain? Why do we keep on blaming, knowing that it will only get worse? Gratitude then to everyone you know, the good, the bad and the ugly, the things and conveniences, life itself. Ahhh, its a great feeling to let go and let the world do its job!
The key is to feel grateful. One, it makes you feel content and happy that your life has not gone waste. That in itself puts you in a good mood to go ahead with spirit, good humour and energy. Two, it gives you a tool to buy in the good will and good wishes of so many people around you. Expressing gratitude by saying a simple 'thank you', makes the other person feel recognised and responsible. For example, imagine a class where a mediocre lecturer is teaching and everyone is cribbing about how bad he is. But let us say that one of the students tells the lecturer how grateful she is for the lecture and how much she appreciates the effort. Chances are that the lecturer will come better prepared for that one student. Gratitude actually has the power of making mediocre people brilliant. On the other hand a resentful, cynical and supercilious behavior or attitude will demotivate a brilliant lecturer into a mediocre one. Same goes with life!
Everyone likes to be important. When someone makes you feel important by acknowledging your presence, your contribution, your goodness, your best nature is suddenly awakened. Gratitude unlocks the best in everyone's nature. He or she feels more responsible instantly and starts doing better, starts living up to the expectations of the others. That is what awards do, raise the bar and make the person more responsible. And gratitude is an award.
Funnily, by being grateful, you make the recipient of your gratitude take up your cause and responsibility. You get his or her help. You get them to motivate you when you are down because they feel as if they own your cause. Your life becomes much more simpler by simply saying thank you. You get more help. You get more good wishes because the others now want you to succeed. You get their prayers and you now have a friendly world full of support and good wishes. So, if your world does not appear to be supportive and friendly, use the gratitude key. It unlocks all doors they say.
To get ahead, to move forward, to have a peaceful, contented, prosperous life, stop taking the world for granted. The moment you take anything for granted it stops all good wishes, prayers and active help from that quarter. There will be assistance but only to the extent that is needed, without soul. But the moment you are grateful for all that happened in the past, all in the present, you see how everyone and everything starts contributing to your growth. Now the whole world takes up your cause!
Now does gratitude mean that one gives up all desire to get better. No, gratitude is the platform of contentment that gives you more energy and clarity to achieve what you really want. It is the best way to achieve more and get better things from life.
It's an amazing paradox. If you can just keep it simple, if you get the ego out of the way and thank everyone for what they did, everyone steps up and does more. If you clam up and blame everyone for all that is happening to you and around you, no one will step up. Then why do we still complain? Why do we keep on blaming, knowing that it will only get worse? Gratitude then to everyone you know, the good, the bad and the ugly, the things and conveniences, life itself. Ahhh, its a great feeling to let go and let the world do its job!
2 comments:
Interesting point. The power of gratitude. I think you have a good point there.
But "...Gratitude actually has the power of making mediocre people brilliant...."
Thats stretching the concept a bit methinks.
Hey, I haven't seen your "best off lists.." in a long time. Love reading those.
Madhav
Thanks Madhav. Pushing the envelope with gratitude you think. But I think its possible to you know. We'll save it up fro discussion sometime.
Ah, the lists of people I am grateful to. That will be a good start I think.
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