To Be Grateful

credits to thegoodelife.typepad.com

“More, more, give me more” is a common way of thinking for many. For most, this would be their top resolution for 2011. Money, money, more money ..... this is a war-cry with the belief that it would solve all their problems. Many are never truly satisfied for once their hunger for the next thing is met; they develop a hunger for another next thing. Many people approach the banquet of life with an insatiable appetite, one that always leaves them wanting more (note, it is good to continually feed our soul, however we must have time between meals to digest that which we receive). Others seem satisfied with what would culturally appear to be much less and they are thankful for that which they have.

Many friends I know live an abundant life, they live in a nice house or a comfortable apartment, they drive two recently purchased cars, thrive on weekly shopping sprees, eat at Mont Kiara's swanky eateries and have an abundance of food in their home and they readily share what they have with neighbours, friends and strangers in need. By cultural standards, these people are by no means rich; however they do live an abundant life. When you talk to the them; they openly express how thankful they are for all that they have. They are often heard to say that they live a blessed life and that they are very fortunate to have all that they have. But if we were were to speak with the young ones and ask them about their life, they would quickly point out that their family is poor; that they are not happy with life. They would illustrate this by telling you of all the things that they do not have and all the things that they perceive their family do not have. You would quickly note, that they has no sense of gratitude for all the abundance that they have in their lives. All you would hear when speaking to them is that they simply want more, more clothes (even though they has a closet full of brand name clothes), a new car (students, mind you!), more money, a bigger house, a new flat-screen, the latest iPad etc, the list would go on and on. If they do not develop gratitude, these young ones may well end up chasing an elusive goal forever; they will find that they are never satisfied with life as they continue to believe that happiness is just one more thing away or is just around the corner when they achieve their next goal, purchase, etc.

Having a gratuitous attitude is key to finding peace on our journey. Being thankful does not mean that we cannot desire more; being thankful simply means that we are not locked in the spinning wheel of greed but rather, grateful for the abundance that we have regardless of the level of abundance in societal terms. In many ways the more thankful we are, the more that comes our way. Conversely when a person is not thankful and is in a constant state of want, desire, give me, that person will feel that they are constantly on the edge of losing everything. In fact often times they are driven by the fear of loss and that fear manifests itself into stress, ulcers, nervous conditions, depression, etc.

When we are grateful we are in a posture where we can readily receive all that comes our way and because we do not fear loss, we do not hold on to things so tightly that they slip through our fingers. In fact, we find that the more ready we are to give that which appears so valuable; the more we are able to accept more. The beauty of having gratitude is we are not defined by receiving more and if more does not show up, that is okay because we are not possessed by that which comes and goes in our life.

Quote a cantonese saying, "Be thankful, even if we could only afford to consume congee!"

When we have gratitude we find peace and freedom in our being.

Today, we should put on our thinking caps and make up a conscience-shopping list of all that we are grateful for. Consider what we are not grateful for and then shift our perspective to find something to be grateful for in that which we listed as something we don’t want or like about our life.

Do you believe that you are entitled to certain things in your life, such as your possessions, your job, your position in an organization? Do you hear yourself saying, “I worked hard for what I have and I deserve what I have or I deserve the position that I hold”? It'll be a  challenge to shift our perspective and consider how thankful we are to have what we have, to be in the position that we are in, etc.

When we shift our perspective and develop gratitude, we will definitely sense a change; we will probably come to a realization that we are fortunate and be very thankful for what we have and that we are no longer possessed by our possessions or position in life. We will experience a new level of peace as we come to understand that we have no fear of loss, for we are grateful in our being and not possessed by our fear of losing that which we falsely believe is ours.

Be thankful for all that is and we will feel an incredible peace as we shake off the yoke of unquenched perpetual desire for more.






"Walk on a trail of loving kindness
Walk on a path of compassion
And all else around you will be beautiful."
Every Blessing