The magic of gratitude

When you start your day with gratitude, you change the complexion of not only your day, but also of your life and attitude. Everything you do gets the vim and vitality of positive energy and auspiciousness. It is a beautiful formula for success and even charm in relationships, work and nearly every avenue. I’ve experienced this first-hand and it’s also an antidote to what we discussed last week — envy, resentment, comparisons and jealousy that, of course, are the spoilsports in any friendship or relationship. But they are, sadly, the demons that invade the mind and often they celebrate victory.

We'd like to resist, we’d like to large-heartedly rejoice in the good fortune of persons around. But dissatisfaction makes us give in to the pull of gravity and with a sour mind we surrender to envy!  When you mull over the matter, it comes to mind that the more we want to dismiss certain thoughts, suppressing them or driving them out seem to make them stronger.

And, so, the effective way is to replace the angst of comparisons and FOMO with gratitude and counting all the joys and blessings we have been given in this life.

Throwing out all fears with gratitude and writing down all the great things in life is what I know works for me magically.  The dissatisfaction at any particular ‘lack’ in life does dissolve when I begin a thought process that focusses on even one thing I can feel grateful for. Just a beginning into gratitude and furrows in the brow relax, triggering a chain-reaction into the joy of living, and the big and small mercies that make life wonderful.

After all, life is about you and is set in the unique circumstances chosen for you. It has enough and more, if you care to think about it, to thank an almighty for. In this aspect, it’s better to be in a bubble of positivity, insulated from the world’s recriminations. Well without the FOMO syndrome that’s afflicting society all around us, inflamed further with everyone’s preoccupation with Facebook, Insta, Snapchat and all kinds of related social-media where the world is projected as a utopia of only fun and perfect relationships, exotic travel, loving husbands and wives, and only luxury and comfort. Never mind that someone went to a car showroom to pose in the latest Porsche for his DP!

I have enjoyed spending a few minutes every morning, before I face the day and, importantly, before I face the world, with the reinforcement of gratitude, even going back down time to garner nuggets of 24 carat gold!

So effective is this exercise and so simple, that I have been amazed at the wand of serotonin it waves upon me as I venture forth into my day with literally a smile of benevolence upon my countenance that can hold through and even rejoice in the good things happening around.

After all, my own cup, as the saying goes ‘floweth over’ and my ‘glass is half full’ almost always!

The writer is a columnist, designer and brand consultant. Mail her at nisjamvwal@gmail.com