Gratitude is Everything

Jan 9, 2012 by Shannon T. Boodram    11 Comments    Posted under: Think About it Mondays

The ground below me feels marsh and springy as if it at any moment it will either give way and swallow me hole or catapult me to infinity. But just as certain as I am of the uncertainty on which I am building everything, is how sure I am that I cannot move until I see this thing through. Let me tell you folks, it is not easy being uneasy all of the time; not knowing what your NEXT is and furthermore not being sure if at this present time I am truly supposed to know. Anyways, unlike many of my career based ramblings, this one has no resolve, no definition and no answers – it only has a underlying current, a mantra that I will cling to until everything else becomes clear. And this new motto ladies and gentlemen is GRATITUDE.

If you follow me anywhere else this word should be something you have seen in the vicinity of mine because of late it’s something that I think about and assess constantly.

These are the questions that I find myself wondering about several times throughout the day: Are you a grateful person? Are you gracious? Are you forthcoming with gratitude?

So how do you know the answers to these questions? By asking yourself some more: when people do or say nice things to you, do you acknowledge it or do you accept it as the norm or as their place, thus not worthy of your gracious response? Or on the flip side, do you question their motives and ignore the literal because in your heart you don’t believe you are worthy of those nice things? Or have you grown so bored with praise that you have forgotten that even though a million people have said the same thing to you, the person issuing the kind act or kind word is probably doing so for the first time?

Having gratitude to me is about having respect for life, the opportunities around you and the people who do any minor or major thing in hopes of making your life/ day that much better. Having gratitude means starting everyday with a positive, optimistic attitude that says I am ready for greatness but I do not expect that the world is ready to hand it to me. It’s about finding any reason to cling to this attitude and seeking out reasons to be cheerful rather than miserable. It is also has much to do with your comfort level in sharing nice words and actions with others; if you are grateful for your own gifts and attributes, it is easier to feel inclined to point out others’. When you are thankful first and foremost I think you are in the best possible position to give and receive positivity from your environment and those in it.

I have comes across more than a few people in my life of late that I feel are truly ungrateful, people who would rather complain about the gaps than the bridges people have broken their backs to build for them. Going forward I do not want to resemble any of these individuals so my 2012 resolution is to give back the good I receive in threefold. No matter what forward may be for me, no matter which way my luck blows, I know that the good in my life vastly outweighs the bad and with that simple stat alone I am already luckier than 60% of the 7 billion.

So if you say anything nice to me anywhere that my eyes will see, I vow to do my best to not let such a beautiful selfless act go unanswered. And if you do anything whatsoever to help ease my load if we cross paths, than I promise to give you more than a half-hearted, knee-jerk grunt of a thank you. With that being said…

Thank you everybody for your patience, time, support, example and influence. If we have ever spoken I guarantee you have given me one of the above listed so please don’t feel like I am making a sweeping offering in absolute vain.

Wishing you all the gift of gratitude; to look passed what makes you unhappy to focus on the things that should,

Shaboo Ranks!!

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