THE LAW OF GRATITUDE

Gratitude can be defined as an expression of appreciation for the things we have in our life. It is a value that has been embedded by every religion in this world. This can be seen in the festivals that celebrated in Malaysia itself such as Guru

Purnima, Ponggal Festival, Pesta Kaamatan, Thanksgiving, and Hari Raya Aidilfitri where these festivals are celebrated in appreciation of gurus, nature, God accordingly.¹

This shows that all of us are trained, educated, molded, and ingrained with the seed of gratitude since we were young. By now, this value should have become our second nature.² However, in reality, it does not replicate the same. We have the tendency to be preoccupied with negative experiences and interactions compared to positive ones. We are focused on the things we are deprived of rather than acknowledging the blessings that showered upon us.

Applying the ‘glass is half-empty or half-full proverbial phrase in this context, the attitude of gratitude is deeply depending on our perspective and/or the way we look at something. When people say the glass is half-empty or half-full, both statements are true. But the perspective makes the difference. Taking the basic things that we have in life such as a roof over our head, food on the table, and most of all the fact that we are still breathing itself is something that we should be hugely grateful for. If we open our eyes and mind to our surroundings, we can witness innumerable blessings that are showered upon us. Access to education, access to transport services, human rights, the opportunity to learn yoga, and the list of blessings goes on.

1. Guru Purnima is celebrated in gratitude to teachers, those who taught us skills, the knowledge that shaped our path; Ponggal, Hari Kaamatan and Pesta Gawai are celebrated to show gratitude for a bountiful harvest; Thanksgiving is celebrated to express gratitude for all the blessings received for the year.
2. Second nature – An acquired deeply ingrained habit or skill after a while. Retrieved from https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/second%20nature.

Acknowledging and appreciating the things we already have in life will grow stronger and return with abundance. The easiest way to make your blessings count is to count your blessings. A single page is light and does not weight much. However, when it is compiled into a book, it will become heavier. Imagine if it is a stack of book. Applying the same principle in our life, if we feel grateful for one particular act of kindness, we may not feel much about it. However, if we train ourselves, change our perspective to be grateful and feel blessed for each and everything that happened in our lives, that definitely going to make the difference! Through this we will able to enjoy the happiness the life offers. At the end of the day, when we count the blessings, we will be overwhelmed, happier and lighter. Nevertheless, if we choose to ponder on the things we do not have or deprived of, then we will never have enough. This even may lead to stress and depression. Remember, the universe is always listening to you regardless of whether it is positive or negative thoughts and return it with abundance.

Having said that, it is not denied life is full of challenges and obstacles. All of us have our own issues and hardships to tackle. Thus, one may ask how to make ourselves to find the blessings and/or feeling grateful when the life is so tough on you. According to Professor Dr. Kader Ibrahim,3 “acceptance” is the key to that. Rather than be in the self-denial mode and keep asking “Why me!? Why it is always happening to me?!”, we have to first develop to be more accepting. Instead, we have to start by saying, “Okay, fine this has happened, and now what is my next action”. Once we start accepting the situation, we will have clarity of mind and feeling stable. Eventually, we will be able to see the big picture of the issue and think of the necessary methods, decisions and actions to handle the issue that we are facing.

We may feel hurt, sad, angry, and dejected for now. But then, somewhere down the line we will realise why certain things happened in such a way. Eventually all things fall into place and we will be amazed by the act of God. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and most importantly, know everything happens for a reason. God, who knows you best knows the best for you. Just trust the process and leave the rest to God.

According to Professor Dr. Kader Ibrahim, positive energy can be created from gratitude. Thoughts are nothing but energy that determines the life path. Each and everything we see in this world is determined by our thoughts. We are normal human beings who have both positive and negative thoughts. We are unable to fully eliminate negative thoughts from our minds. However, we can expand our positive thoughts and overlap it over negative thoughts. Being grateful is one of the best ways to cultivate this positive energy. The more we are in the state of gratitude, the more positive energy we will attract. Once we have greater positive thoughts compared to negative thoughts, we will have more positive energy. It will bring chaos into order and uncertainty into clarity. Thus, be the energy that we want to attract. Whatever we think is what going to be served in our plate as the universe is always listening to you.

There are several methods that can be used to cultivate the attitude of gratitude, such as: –

• Starting the day with positive vibes

First, we can start our day with positive thoughts. The fact that we are alive and having the opportunity of experiencing life itself is the biggest blessing that one can wish for. We may even beat the “Monday blues” by taking the time to recognise and appreciate the things that we enjoy about work. Constantly tell ourselves that we are excited to go to work. We have to keep repeating it until it becomes a new belief. This belief will eventually manifest into reality. This is what the law of affirmation is all about. Consequently, we can eliminate our negative thoughts and cultivate positive thoughts which will be turned into positive energy. We also can make a point to do something nice or any act of

kindness for someone else as soon as we get to work on Monday. Doing nice things for other people definitely can lift up the spirit and we even can be source of positivity in the workplace.⁴

• Putting the seed of gratitude in prayers

It has been said that the highest form of prayer is giving thanks. We have to integrate our gratitude into our daily prayers. Rather than praying ‘for’ things, let’s we start being thanking and being grateful for the blessings that God showered us upon. We thank God for the current life and for the life that we are going to live. We thank God for the help we have received and for the help that we going to receive. With this, the universe will protect you and bless you. Whatever happens in our life it is all the arrangement of God as He is the best person who knows what is the best for us. All we have to do is surrender to Him.⁵

• Embedding the value of gratitude through the practice of yoga

We begin our daily yoga practice by thanking the universe, nature, our ancestors, the rishis, and gurus for giving us the opportunity to learn this art of yoga in this lifetime. We are blessed souls for us to be in the line of yoga and to be given the opportunity to understand the great value behind this sacred art. We have to be respectful and full of gratitude to be able to stand on the mat – the place we are going to do wonders. Further, at the end of the practice, we conclude it by expressing our gratitude to our yoga master, the universe and everyone else, including ourselves, that made the yoga session possible for us.

⁴ Article – Jacqueline Smith (2013). 11 Ways to Beat the Monday Blues.

⁵ “Surrender exclusively unto him with your whole being, O Bharat. By his grace, you will attain perfect peace

and the eternal abode.” Bhagvad-Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 62.

• Keeping a Journal of Blessings

Writing down the things we are thankful for or the blessings we receive on a daily basis will do wonders. This can be done by keeping a journal or downloading any applications (apps) on our mobile where we can have easy access. We can write a heartfelt thank you to all those people who helped us and things that affected us in a positive manner. It can be even the simple act of someone who holds the door for you, a healthy lunch shared with a friend, morning greetings that you received, help that you received from your colleague, appreciation and acknowledgment from your boss, and so much more that we can think of. It may seem simple and immaterial, but it can make a whole lot of difference and we will realise how much blessed we are.

Our life is too short in this world. Let’s cherish and grateful with whatever we blessed with as nothing is permanent. If we observe, we will be amazed at how much we have achieved when we are happy and grateful state of mind. The more we are in the state of gratitude, the more we will attract things to be grateful. With all these together with God’s blessings will make us lighter, happier and peaceful. In other words, the small blessings that we counts will give us abundance in the future. That is what the law of gratitude is all about.

“We hold the key to lasting happiness in our hands.

For it is not joy that makes us grateful, it is

gratitude that makes us joy.”

[David Stendl-Rast]

References

Content derived from Professor Dr. Kader Ibrahim’s various speech, talks, and counselling sessions.

Content derived from Master SK Durai’s classroom lessons and sashtang from various sessions.

Verses from Bhagvad-Gita, As It is. Merriam Webster Dictionary

Marc Chernoff (2015). 12 Little known Laws of Gratitude. Retrieved from 12 Little Known Laws of Gratitude (That Will Change Your Life) (marcandangel.com)

Jacqueline Smith (2013). 11 Ways to Beat the Monday Blues. Retrieved from 11 Ways to Beat the Monday Blues (forbes.com).

– Indra Rathakrisnan