Be Grateful and Be Happy
Gratitude will generate more happiness in your life.
The past year has been challenging for most people but also it has also been difficult on a global scale. We have lost human lives, jobs, physical contact and part of our freedom has been taken as well. 2020 has been one big obstacle we had to overcome and survive. A year in which we had to adapt and were forced to make changes. Despite all these moments of adversity, we also learned a lot, because we did overcome the obstacles that were put in front of us and in order to do achieve that we adapted and grew as a global community and as individuals. We learned to work remotely. We learned to work out from home. We learned to be a teacher for our kids. We learned to have efficient meetings online. And I could go on and on about all the things we learned and became better at. Think about the obstacles you conquered these past few months and what you learned from them. Maybe it was something small, maybe it was something big. All in all, 2020 was a year of learning.
The number one thing that I learned was the importance of gratitude.
At the beginning of the Covid, most countries went into lockdown. We couldn’t see our friends and family members. At some point, we even had trouble buying toilet paper. We couldn’t give people we care about a proper hug. Things that were normal a year ago, were put into a box as not acceptable anymore. Our daily life changed. Something that was normal to us, became not done. We started to appreciate the times in which we could just go to a supermarket without a face mask or go to our grandparents without having to fear their death. That is why the pandemic showed us the importance of gratefulness. We started to realize the importance of the little things.
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
Make a list
I am grateful for the freedom of travelling.
I am grateful for physical contact.
I am grateful for proper face to face education.
I am grateful for a grocery store full of food.
I am grateful for the gyms and the ability to improve my strength.
Gratefulness means to appreciate all that you have received. By making a list of your own, you will realize the importance of all those little things and being grateful for them. In the olden days, the important thinkers already realized how being grateful should be a big part of our lives.
“Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave them if they were not yours.” — Marcus Aurelius
Past, present, and future
We think about the past and plan for the future. We dream about the future. We wish for the future to be healthier, wealthier and better than the present. When we think about the past we remember all the things moments we regret doing or even worse regret the moments we let pass by. However, often we forget that life is not about the past or the present. Life is a movie that is playing right now, this second. Everything you have or haven’t achieved doesn’t matter, because life is only lived in the moment. Living in the present helps you to be happier. We should stop looking at everything that could be and could have been.
Being grateful is a tool to become more present. Focussing on what you do and have and appreciating it. Living in the present helps you to generally feel more happiness. Not looking at everything that could be, all the things you could own or all the memories you could have made, but looking at everything you have and remembering how important all those little things are.
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus
Materialism and minimalism
Being grateful also makes you less materialistic and helps you appreciate minimalism. Since you appreciate the things you do have, you will feel less urge to look for happiness in buying more. When you are grateful for the fact that you have a car that gets you from a to b why would you want to get a new one? If you are grateful for having your loved ones around you, thinking about buying a new pair of shoes or a handbag feels out of context and in a different order. A luxury problem.
More positivity
Gratitude also brings a lot of positivity to your life. It might sound evident, but acknowledging the goodness in your life does make you more positive overall. which will then also result in more happiness. Someone who is constantly focusing on all they do have is much more likely to have an overall positive view of the world around them compared to the individual who is always wanting more and more. And having a positive view naturally implies a feeling of happiness.
Better relationships
Gratitude can also help you in parts of your life which you might not expect: your relationships.
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” — Voltaire
Appreciating the good parts of someone's character instead of complaining about the parts that annoy you, can improve your relationship tremendously. Expressing gratitude can make a relationship more open and will result in more positivity towards one and another. There is one disclaimer: a relationship will always be a two-way street. If only one person expresses gratitude for the other, the relationship will become unbalanced and unhealthy. However, if two people start showing more gratitude towards each other this will improve the relationship.
Also in the workplace showing gratitude can make your colleagues or employees feel more motivated to work hard. When it comes to being grateful for other people and appreciating those around you, you actually also help yourself. Instead of feeling annoyed by someone else, appreciate them for all the value they add to the world and you will feel this excellence will become part of you as well.
Implementing gratitude in your daily life.
There are multiple little things you can do to implement gratitude:
- Journalling either at night or in the morning: write down three things you are grateful for. Don’t make it too difficult. Remember it is about the little things. Like the cup of coffee, you have that morning.
- Show appreciation towards the people around you. Be kind. Help a stranger out. Say something nice and never forget to smile. Bring positivity into the world and the world will bring positivity to you.
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