SHUT UP AND BE GRATEFUL

The fact that you’re reading this sentence means that you are richer and more educated than 99.5% of people in human history. It means you have almost immediate access to over half of all of the information and data ever created by the human race. It means you have the ability to educate yourself on subjects people previously spent their entire lifetimes to learn.

Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you've been given. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. 

For decades, research has tied gratefulness and appreciation to happiness. People who are happier tend to be more grateful and appreciative for what they have.But  they've also found
is that it also works the other way around: consciously practicing gratitude makes one happier. It makes one appreciate what one has and helps one to remain in the present moment. Practicing gratitude increases accountability which directly leads to higher self-esteem and happiness. Not to mention it makes one more pleasant to be around and creates a more magnetic personality.

I have personally noticed that people who do not practice gratitude get old quicker and they are hardly surrounded by their loved ones when they die. Everyone wants to be around a happy person, a person who always finds a reason to be thankful, a person who is grateful for even the slightest thing. Gratitude is a source of Joy.  People who consciously practice gratitude  always find joy even in small things. 

Over 150, 000 people die everyday. I will give you one reason why you still have to get up and be grateful; YOU ARE NOT DEAD. You are alive. I visited a general hospital when my friend was very ill, I saw people languishing in pain, some of them were screaming and I just couldn't hold back the tears. You are alive, that alone is a reason to wake every morning with a grateful heart and a positive mindset. A living dog is better than a dead lion. 

Some keep murmuring about how obnoxious and nosy there parents are. Your family may frustrate you, but over 1/3 of the world’s population has only one parent and 143 million children are growing up with no parents at all. So if you have both parents alive that is a thing to be grateful for and if you have just one, you still have to be grateful for there are people who have none. 

If you’re in college or you went to college, you are part of the lucky 7% worldwide elite. You’re unlikely to ever live at a subsistence level like almost 60% of the population and you surely won’t ever be starving like almost 25% of the world population.

If you can afford a three square meal and you have shelter. You should wake up every morning and quit murmuring about how the house is not comfortable enough. It's okay to want more, It's okay yearn for improvement but you will never get more by complaining about what you have in your hands. Be grateful for the house first, life is a stage by stage process. As long as you keep pressing, working and trusting God, you will find yourself going higher on the ladder of success. You have to be patient and grateful for the thing you are blessed with. People for appreciate little things, are the ones who always find the little seeds that will someday grow into giant trees.

You may be single and lonely, but at least you live in a society which accepts open communication between men and women, is liberal about dating practices, and at least you have the means to get out there and improve your situation.

Can you take a look at those beautiful children of yours. Countless number of couples are trying so hard to make babies. They want to know what it feels to be parents. They crave for the kind of noise your children make–the same noise you complain of everyday. They want to feel what is like to have their little one color their faces with marker pen when they are asleep. Can't you see how blessed you are to be a father or a mother? 

People tend to take for granted the good that is already present in their lives. There’s a gratitude exercise that instructs that you should imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted, such as your home, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk, or anything that currently gives you comfort. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for each and every one. In addition, you need to start finding joy in the small things instead of holding out for big achievements.

Even when things don’t go your way, remember that every difficulty carries within it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit. In the face of adversity ask yourself: “What’s good about this?”, “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”

Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good even in unpleasant situations. You've been blessed. Even if you rarely realize it. All of us here have. When things seem messed up , don’t forget what’s good, true and beautiful. Remember to shut up and be grateful.

“If the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart

Every morning when you wake up, while you brush your teeth, look in the mirror and think of five things you’re grateful for. Today, start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful; in this way, you’ll be on your way toward becoming a master of gratitude.

I am going to learn this skill too. I am going to make it a habit. 

I will start by saying thank you to everyone who takes time to read this blog. You guys are family. This is a medium for me to express myself and share my thoughts with you guys. Even when people criticize me, misunderstand me, or say ridiculous things about this blog,  I’m grateful for this blog and how much it enriches my life. The joys of running it is more than the discouragements  that periodically pop in. I am indeed grateful.