Gratitude

How gratitude is influential to success

Success is an accumulation of a sequence of effort, activity and events into an ultimate achievement. It is like a storied building that is built brick by brick from its foundation up to its roof. 

The building process is one very few people are capable of noticing because it can be generally grubby and unattractive to the eye. However, the final masterpiece is an art that is hard to miss. Everyone definitely sees it. 

This is why many times people seem to ‘instantaneously’ get wealthy. 

Phrases like “overnight success story” rose to prominence because no one had the time to watch brick work and neither was the building process appealing to watch. 

It is only a complete masterpiece that can catch an eye, and for that reason it always seems to have come out of nowhere.

A single brick alone seems worthless and unnoticeable but without it the whole building might come tumbling down.  Today we discuss one of the building bricks of success: Gratitude.

What is gratitude?

Derived from the Latin word ‘gratus’, gratitude refers to the feeling or expression of thankfulness.

How gratitude is a building block to success

Many times gratitude is overlooked because it is neither tangible nor does it directly influence a materialistic position eg finances. Rather it is often viewed as just a common courtesy meant to be fulfilled as a gesture of social decency.

Gratitude is more than just a social contract, it is;

The beginning of humility

Acknowledgement that someone else can do good for you or come to your aid whether or not the deed was within your capacity is a gesture of selflessness. It shows full awareness of your environment as well as those people within it. 

Above all, it is a sign that a person is open to a helping hand; something the humble flourish at.

In a business and project oriented world, humility plays a major part. It is almost impossible to tackle a major project alone. At some point everyone needs a hand. It could be a financial investor, an advisor, a mentor or even an emotional anchor. They all play a substantial role in an individual’s life and should be acknowledged as such.

Better relationships

A heartfelt “thank you” may be arguably the cheapest way of building and strengthening relationships.

Relationship = Opportunity

The more strong relationships one builds, the more opportunities they are exposed to which could bear positive impact on the project they are working on.

In this globalized world, it is believed that everyone is four connections away from anyone else across the globe. Reaching the ideal person to pitch your idea to requires strong relationships with those within your immediate surrounding.

Fulfillment

Not only does gratitude provide a sense of fulfillment to a helper, it also does the same for the grateful individual. 

Instead of whining and murmuring for the little that may have been received, gratitude sees the cup as half full (not half empty). This allows one to move forward and focus more on bettering the future.

Frustration has no grip on grateful people.

A disgruntled heart very often blocks progress because it only focuses on the immediate flaw and nourishes itself further by scrapping for more flaws

Whenever scavenge for flaws, you will surely find them

How to be grateful

Being grateful may be one of the easiest things to learn. This is because the instances which require gratitude are sure to present themselves several times on each given day. Below are some of the tips to help build on gratitude.

4 keys to being grateful

·         Start small

Just like any habit, gratitude can become a personality by a repetition of small deeds carried out on a regular basis. Learning to appreciate the very small things done for you is a start. 

This could be appreciating a well cooked tasty meal or a mere “thanks for calling” at the end of a phone call.

·         Every day take some time to reflect

At the end of each day give yourself time to think about the day’s activities. If need be, make a list of everyone that did good to you.

·         Do not hold back

Freely express yourself. Never assume that someone already knows how grateful you are when they see you smile after their gesture.

Words may not be enough to explain how grateful you are, after all some feelings of gratitude may go beyond utterance. Gestures can be used to help express the feeling. 

At the very least, let it be known that "words cannot express" your gratitude.    

Celebrate greatness

Applaud excellence, achievements or the goodness in other people. Do not keep positive comments to yourself. Dish out the positive vibe; after all what good is it to you when bottled in?

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