The Power Of Showing Gratitude: Fostering Appreciation and Happiness In Daily Life

In life, due to the many challenges and hustle, we tend to overlook the little things of life. We fail to give God gratitude for the opportunity to wake up each day and for the air we breathe always focused on the negative part of life.

In this contest, we’ll explore the meaning of gratitude, why it matters with practical examples, how to make gratitude a habit and finally how to inculcate on children.

Before we embark on this journey, let me invite @johnmitchel, @bdhivesteem and @emmy01 for this contest hosted by @goodybest.

Let’s go there…..

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Gratitude in my own words means showing appreciation to someone for what they have done for you no matter how little it is. Gratitude is a powerful tool that open doors for people and ingratitude closes doors of favour. When you show gratitude to people no matter how small or insignificant it might be to you, it makes them want to do more!

For instance, in our various workplace, when we do something for our boss and he appreciates your efforts either through word of mouth, gifts or giving monetary value, you tend to do more and put more effort when giving that other task to do because of the show of gratitude from your boss.

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Gratitude Matters because it is one thing that I know that can build a strong relationship. When we appreciate the help someone have rendered to us genuinely, it makes your helper feel very special and valuable. In return, he/she will be encouraged to continue supporting you and thereby leading to a close relationship between the both of you.

Let’s site another instance were “gratitude” matters. Imagine seeing your boss very angry today and has been angry with everyone. Then few moments later he sends for you and you are tensed because you know he’s not in a good mood. He sits you down and tells you “thank you so much for the work you did for me last week, it was beautiful”. That show of gratitude just kills the tension in the air. It’s like a psychological thing, you now feel more relaxed and comfortable.

Gratitude matters because it gives you hope and makes you focus all our energy on the good things that has been happening in our lives and forget about the negative things that will want to pull us down or cause depression.

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Let me use this Christmas as an example. My kid sister that stays in UK during the festive period sent me and my kid brother #50k each, that’s 153 steem. She said we should use it to enjoy the Christmas holidays. I appreciated her so much because I know how far that 50,000 naira will help me. Because of the way I took my time to appreciate her, she sent me extra 20k. I was so grateful for it and i didn’t have to touch my salary through out the month of December.

In my kid brothers case, he casually thanked her because she was his sister. Why I couldn’t fault him was because I use to make the same mistake. Back in university, whenever my dad or mum send me money for my upkeep, I don’t call sometimes to appreciate them. I felt it was their responsibility as my parents to train me and besides they were family, so, I didn’t see it as a big deal. The people I really showed gratitude more was to strangers.

During one of the school holidays when I visited home, my dad called me out and asked me “Why do I always find it hard to say thank you, whenever they send me money in school”. He asked me jokingly. I told him “sometimes , it escapes my mind”. I lied, I refused to say the main reason.

He didn’t say anything about it again, we just continue our normal conversation. I didn’t know my dad had his own plans. The day I had serious problems in school and I needed money to solve it, that was the day my parents humbled me. I called my dad to ask him for money, he ended the call. I gave my dad and mum like 100 missed calls that day but they refused to pick my call up. I just knew it was the handwork of my dad.

That was the day I learnt my lesson. I knew how important their money was to me. So, whether my parents, my siblings, relatives and strangers, whatever help they render me, I always appreciate them because I know it’s not easy for someone to go out of their way to help me.

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Like the saying goes “practice makes perfect”. So, whether, you are thanking your colleagues for their assistance, acknowledging your family members for rendering support or showing gratitude to a strangers kindness, when done all the time becomes part of you and it forms your habit.

As a kid, whenever I receive anything from a stranger, my parents will always tell me to go back and tell them “thank you”. If we start training our kids that way, they will learn to always show gratitude.

Secondly, parents should also learn to be grateful to one another because kids learn what they see very fast. It should be like a daily ritual or routine in the house. The more you are appreciative to one another, the more your kids are learning from you.

In everything we should learn to give thanks and show appreciation. When you give thanks in the little things be rest assured that there are better things to come.