Being Thankful

Gratitude is a highly underestimated virtue. We go through the rigmarole of life without acknowledging or thanking life for the various gifts that it showers on us. We accept them as pure coincidences or just a matter of good luck.

I think gratitude towards our loved ones is becoming a thing of the past. Somewhere we take them for granted and believe that they were just doing their role. We often forget that they did not simply do their roles mechanically; they also ensured that we were made to feel special and gave us the warmth that we needed.

I was reintroduced to the concept of gratitude when I was reading a book on Positive Psychology. In the book they talk about “Naikan” a Japanese technique of reflection. The technique can be used on a daily basis. The word Naikan means inside looking or introspection.It is primarily based on 3 questions:

What have I received from…

What have I given to…

What troubles and difficulties have I caused to…

The purpose is to use these questions to help one bring focus to how one has contributed and how one’s life has been enriched by the existing relationships and interactions that one may engage in on a daily basis or over an extended period of time.

Try using the technique and see how it impacts you.