It is true that your entire desires may have not been met and maybe life is not going exactly the way you have initially planned, but one thing I know is that there are still things to be grateful for. If you think you are going through a bad day, you may want to take a look at other people's bad days and you will know that you still have hope. What you have but you do not deem it fit to be grateful for, is the same thing others are wishing to get. So learn gratitude.
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If you take a trip down memory lane and consider where you were some years back and then compare it to where you are now, you will know that a lot have changed for good and you need to stay appreciative. Obviously, you have made some improvements, even if you are not yet where you want to be. Appreciation does not mean you do not have needs, it means that you have acknowledged the goods that you have received, while hoping for something better. No wonder it is popularly said that:
Direct appreciation is an indirect application for more.
It is worthy to note that a lot of people that have died would have gladly chosen to be alive and be in your shoes. So if you are asking why you need to be grateful, the first and most important reason is because of life. As long as you have life (the primary thing), then there is hope of getting the secondary things. One of the greatest gifts to humankind is the gift of living. It is on this gift that every other thing hinges on. So if you cannot see anything to be appreciative of, at least you can see life.
If you will be able to think well; think of your life, the blessings you have received, the relationship with people you have, the good things of life, you will not need motivation to be grateful. If you always focus on the negative happenings, you will not see reasons to be grateful. But if you focus on the good things of life, you will not lack reasons to be grateful. The truth is that if you want reasons be grateful, you will see plenty of them. In the same way, if you are looking for reasons to be ungrateful and unhappy, you will also see plenty of them.
You do not need to have an abundance of everything or possess the heaven and the earth before you show appreciation. This is why I normally say that "gratitude is a function of the heart and not of the pocket." When someone does good for you, you do not have to hesitate to show appreciation. Imagine if you show favour or do good to someone and they see it as a right or an entitlement and does not appreciate you for it, will you have the proclivity to do good to them again? Not showing appreciation can be a manifestation of pride. But showing it can be linked to humility.
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You will be surprised how a seemingly simple "thank you" can go a long way to open unimaginable doors for you. It is very normal for someone to be moved to do good to the person that is always quick to appreciate people for the good done to them, than someone that sees it as a right. Just to remind you that many of the things you think are your rights are only privileges, so try to be appreciative for them all. It does not matter your status in comparison to the person that does good to you, you still owe them a "thank you." The person may be your subordinate, someone of a lower status, or someone younger than you, but it does not stop you from being grateful. This reminds me of a popular adage from the Western part of Nigeria as I conclude with it:
Bowing your head down to appreciate someone does not make you shorter in height.
Thanks for reading
