Gratitude is Greatness
- What is Gratitude?
- What is Greatness?
- How does gratitude lead to greatness?
- What is ingratitude? and its consequences?
- Why should one be grateful?
- Why should one crave for greatness?
- Can one live a fulfilled life without being grateful?
- Gratitude and contentment.
- Gratitude and influence/inspiration.
- Gratitude and optimism.
Intro
A man met with an accident and lost his left leg. He has now become disabled for the rest of his life. The person has two options in front of him. One he can cry for his lost leg. Another option is that he be thankful that his other three limbs are okay, also he is alive. And think what he can do with his life and three legs.
Being grateful is not just an ordinary way of life but a life that is fulfilled in the sense life gives you what you ask of it. This being said lets delve into the realm of what is gratitude and how it can make our life totally different.
1. What is Gratitude?
“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”-Henry Ward Beecher
The word gratitude comes from the Latin word gratus, which means ‘pleasing’ or ‘thankful’. The absence of gratitude where gratitude is expected is called ingratitude or ungratefulness. In simple terms gratitude is a feeling of appreciation or thanks. Others put it this way, being grateful means complaining is not easy for you. Putting things together when you are grateful you appreciate the brighter side of things rather than their negative side. As is famous with the glass of water that is not full, a person of gratitude will see the glass as half full, whereas as a person with negativity will see the same glass as half empty.
2. What is Greatness?
Greatness is the quality or state of being important, notable, or distinguished. I would put greatness simply as something which is not ordinary, which has a lot of importance and value. For example Nelson Mandela was a great leader, he was not an ordinary leader, he sacrificed 27 years of his life for a just cause. Another example would be of Sachin Tendulkar, who is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time because of his abilities, like leadership qualities, etc.
3. How does gratitude lead to greatness?
When a person is grateful, she appreciates what she has in front of her and acts accordingly rather than cries for the things she does not have. For example in the movie ‘The Martian’, Matt, the actor after he got separated from his other members, has lost almost everything, and chances of his survivor were negligible. He was alone on Mars. But instead of losing faith, crying or not doing anything, he figured out what he has and what he can do with that. He cultivated food for himself, signaled to the ground station on earth that he is alive. Finally he was rescued. In that situation the actor appreciated what he had in front of him, and acted accordingly, and that is what makes him great, to survive in that pathetic situation.
4. What is ingratitude? and its consequences?
In one way ingratitude can be as one’s inability to see what is in front of him, means not appreciating what you have & taking for granted what you possess. Ingratitude can lead to a lot of negatives in one’s life like unhappiness, when you are ungrateful you will push away people from your life thereby you lose friendships, relationships, network etc. Ingratitude will create a vicious cycle, the more ungrateful you are the more negative you become that will fuel more ingratitude. Also it will affect your physical and mental health. Studies have shown that gratitude leads to happiness, and ingratitude to stress which can cause many health issues like diabetes.
5. Why should one be grateful?
Being grateful gives you a meaning in life. Make your life fulfilled. Once you start developing the habit of appreciating things which you possess or the circumstances you are in, you act accordingly. Rather than worrying about what you do not have.
6. Why should one crave for greatness?
In one sense humans are great in themselves in the sense that we possess such qualities no other species possesses that like intellect, etc. But in our species, not all people tend to do the same kind of work, with the same kind of zeal. Some tend to do work that benefits none but the person oneself, but some persons do the work that benefits the whole humanity like noble laureates. A person can be great in many ways as there is no single path to greatness. But there are some basic qualities that make a person great like sacrifice, etc.
Why Is It Important to Be Grateful?
Passmore and Oades (2016) assert that as expectations have changed, gratitude has diminished in western society. Possessions and health are expectations for many individuals rather than considered personal ‘blessings’ that are appreciated. “Gratitude has, for many, been replaced by disappointment, anger, and resentment when these expected ‘blessings’ either do not appear or they disappear” (Passmore & Oades, 2016, p. 43).
We have learned gratitude helps people focus on the positive aspects of their life. Gratitude can help build and maintain relationships with others, resulting in hope, life satisfaction, and more proactive behaviors toward others (Passmore & Oades, 2016).
The Importance of Gratitude in Life
Gratitude is strongly related to wellbeing (Jans-Beken et al., 2020; Wood et al., 2010). The positive effects of experiencing and expressing gratitude are endless.
Gratitude has been found to be beneficially associated with social wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, and psychological wellbeing (Jans-Beken et al., 2020). It is no surprise that trait gratitude is an important “predictor of wellbeing and other desirable life outcomes” (Portocarrero et al., 2020, p. 6).
Gratitude appears to have a domino effect. If a person experiences gratitude, they are more likely to recognize the help and then later reciprocate that help (Wood et al., 2010). People who are thanked are presumably more apt to extend help to others in the future.
Likewise, people who are not thanked may not be expected to provide reciprocation in the future. The expression of gratitude is beneficial for both individuals and society (Bono et al., 2004).
In a review of the literature, Cregg and Cheavens (2021) found that gratitude has a positive affiliation with positive affect, life satisfaction, extraversion, forgiveness, and a negative affiliation with substance abuse and neuroticism, as well as an inverse relationship between gratitude and anxiety and depression.
7. Can one live a fulfilled life without being grateful?
Imagine yourself having all the things that life has to offer, but without appreciating any of them. Would you be happy? Not at all! Happiness comes from within. It has little to do with possessions.
8. Gratitude and contentment.
Contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied, or being content. It can also mean being satisfied with one’s current situation, or being pleased with the way the elements in one’s life are.
9. Gratitude and optimism.
Optimism in simple terms is a mental attitude that involves hope and confidence in the future and success.
10. Gratitude and inspiration.
You can become an inspiration for others once you start developing the habit of grateful. As you become grateful you become a great person. That will inspire others for acting accordingly.
What is the relation between being grateful and influencing and inspiring others?
Gratitude plays a significant role in influencing and inspiring others.
1. Reciprocity and Altruism:
When you express gratitude, it creates a positive emotional connection with others. People who feel appreciated
In conclusion being grateful has a positive effect in one’s life and the people around him and the world at large. It is a trait or a habit that has no negatives associated with it. Gratitude will make you more human and help you to grow and be happy and successful in life. Gratitude has a positive loop which gets bigger with time, the gratitude will fuel positivity and in-turn you will become more gratitude and have a fulfilled life.
As said by somebody being grateful means it will be difficult for you to complain. Such a simple state in our world, where everybody complains about something or the other.
Be grateful or disbelieving – Quran.
Certainly, here are some quotes on gratitude:
1. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward
2. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
3. “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” – Eckhart Tolle
4. “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
5. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity… It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
6. “The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become.” – Robert Holden
7. “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” – Zig Ziglar
8. “Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” – Lionel Hampton
9. “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” – Henry Ward Beecher
10. “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
These quotes capture the essence and importance of gratitude in our lives.