The concept of maintaining a gratitude register was suggested to me by a good friend of mine, Suresh Padmanabhan, who conceptualised “The Money Workshop” (www.moneyworkshop.com)
The concept deeply appealed to me because of its simplicity and also its significance which it has to our lives.
During our entire lifetime, we are indebted to a lot of people who in their own inimitable manner have contributed in our lives. It could be our school teacher, the friendly gardener, our first “best” friend, our parent(s), sibling(s), mentor, spouse, subordinate or………………. ……………………………. Now a days our online friend(s)…..
Gratitude register is essentially a record of the people and things whom we are grateful for and the manner in which they or it have contribution in our lives. All those who have contributed to what and where we are today. It could also include those who kicked us when we were down, because that acted as the catalyst for us to bounce back faster.
Gratitude register helps us to record and acknowledge the contribution of various people in our life. The human memory with all its frailities …………….. and strong points is fickle to say the least. While most people bear grudges which last a lifetime, normally the “good things” tend to be taken for granted. Especially from those close to us and our loved ones. Their presence and contribution in our life is taken for granted. It is only a prolonged absence which makes us realize the difference they make to our lives. If you want to know this first hand, typically ask a husband when his wife goes visiting her parents for ten days…….. J
In fact, on a lighter note the one person whom most of my cousins missed the most after shifting to the US of A, post marriage , was the friendly “kaamwali bai” . It just goes to show to what extent we tend to take most things in life for granted. In the US of A, you do not get a domestic help even if you are willing to pay a handsome salary/remuneration. We normally realize the value of normalcy in our lives only when something abnormal happens, for ex having an accident in the kitchen while cooking and cutting our finger and then struggling to do even the routine chores makes us realize the extent to which we had been taking our ‘normalcy’ for granted…………………and so on………..
The concept deeply appealed to me because of its simplicity and also its significance which it has to our lives.
During our entire lifetime, we are indebted to a lot of people who in their own inimitable manner have contributed in our lives. It could be our school teacher, the friendly gardener, our first “best” friend, our parent(s), sibling(s), mentor, spouse, subordinate or………………. ……………………………. Now a days our online friend(s)…..
Gratitude register is essentially a record of the people and things whom we are grateful for and the manner in which they or it have contribution in our lives. All those who have contributed to what and where we are today. It could also include those who kicked us when we were down, because that acted as the catalyst for us to bounce back faster.
Gratitude register helps us to record and acknowledge the contribution of various people in our life. The human memory with all its frailities …………….. and strong points is fickle to say the least. While most people bear grudges which last a lifetime, normally the “good things” tend to be taken for granted. Especially from those close to us and our loved ones. Their presence and contribution in our life is taken for granted. It is only a prolonged absence which makes us realize the difference they make to our lives. If you want to know this first hand, typically ask a husband when his wife goes visiting her parents for ten days…….. J
In fact, on a lighter note the one person whom most of my cousins missed the most after shifting to the US of A, post marriage , was the friendly “kaamwali bai” . It just goes to show to what extent we tend to take most things in life for granted. In the US of A, you do not get a domestic help even if you are willing to pay a handsome salary/remuneration. We normally realize the value of normalcy in our lives only when something abnormal happens, for ex having an accident in the kitchen while cooking and cutting our finger and then struggling to do even the routine chores makes us realize the extent to which we had been taking our ‘normalcy’ for granted…………………and so on………..
Gratitude ... the most forgotten word in this fast world..people tend to take everything for granted .. and the question of gratitude arises very rarely..(but I have a big list in my memory register to whom i feel ..without them I would be big zero)..
ReplyDeletenice wake up call by you to check and enter the missing from the register..
Absolutely right... but that is life... u may not express it but subconsiously every individual definitely acknowledges.. and for expressing we do have different options like blogs, face book etc.. :)
ReplyDelete"It could also include those who kicked us when we were down, because that acted as the catalyst for us to bounce back faster."... how true... but pardoning them.. noways... i am not a sage.. life would have been much better than now.. no regrets either.. to be happy in what we have is the btr solution...