IT ALL BEGINS WITH GRATITUDE!

“Gratitude is the founding value for a successful human life.”

Sometimes in our conversations we unknowingly say, ‘no one has done anything for me’, can we evaluate this statement in our minds. Is it possible that we have grown up in this world without anyone’s facilitation, support, care and guidance?
Let’s see some basics of each person’s life on planet Earth.

Our parents give us ‘our body’, and with their knowledge & wealth, nurture us. Gratitude for this precious life and values. Parents’ blessings remain for their children always.
Teachers have taught us language and all the worlds’ information and principles. Gratitude for teachers.
Our siblings and friend circle with whom we played and helped each other at different stages of life, gratitude towards them.
Mankind has produced some of the best discoveries related to development of consciousness, well being of our health and various technologies of which we make use of, which as an individual one may not have developed nor thought of, but it’s part of one’s being, everyday life. Gratitude towards the entire humankind.
Similarly if one observes daily routine, there are several ‘support-nurture’ chains that instill life, values, and harmony in our life. Question is, are we aware.

As we begin to observe, identify acknowledge:
1) The love and guidance of our parents,
2) Wisdom given by our ‘gurus’ and then
3) Gradually see every individuals’, best efforts done.
We begin to develop gentleness, softness, self control in our behavior. Our language, feelings, expression, body language everything reflects ‘sanyam’ (self inspired control) in our interactions. This we can evaluate in ourselves, when we have the feeling of gratitude for someone, for that time period we have a behavior which is naturally in ‘sanyam’ (self inspired control).
So, the choice of being grateful is a matter of choice, habit, and one’s thought process.

So, where does one begin?
By becoming aware of what one has received in life and is receiving even now. And the things that one feels ‘I did not get’, or one feels ‘void of’, one needs to take ownership, ‘yes I will learn, I will grow myself, and overcome the gaps or incompleteness’. From here begins the journey of being grateful at every moment, and situation of life and becoming mature and ‘self inspired’ or motivated.

It is seen that during moments of anger, one’s language turns blameful, thoughts lack control or direction, and one forgets the role played by everyone in one’s life. Such moments just let us know that we need to continue building the perspective of gratefulness, during our everyday ‘normal daily routine’ first as a habit. Even today, in our society, in our relationships, in our workspaces, and at our homes, we can decide what perspective to have, whether to see the support each person is able to offer to us.

Children in early stages of life can be facilitated to become aware and mindful of how parents love & guide them on a day to day basis. After all, children have small bodies, but are ‘soul’ too! From parents to teachers,to friends step by step, through a definite educational curriculum the vision, and perspective of gratitude can be developed right up to the entire human race and then finally towards Nature.
The practice of gratitude naturally brings self discipline, appreciation, inspiration to learn, openness and mutual fulfillment in our interactions.

Authored by Ms Shaalu Agrawal (Educationist, Mental Health Coach)
Coauthored by Vaidya Shefali Sangal

(The authors are Counselling Team of Kaivalya)
31st August,2021