by Alina Boie, M.S.
“A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.” – Plato
What would our world look like if everybody did one nice thing a day for somebody they didn’t know? How would our life change if we spent time being grateful for what we have rather than complain for what we lack?
From all the “must see” movies, one got to me more than any others. It is called “Pay It Forward”. In this movie the main character, a 12 year old boy, is assigned a social studies project that is supposed to “change the world”. He decides that if he can do three good deeds for someone and they in turn can “pay it forward” and so forth, positive changes can occur. In the end people’s lives change as a result of this small project. This movie was very inspiring and although people could argue that the idea is rather unrealistic, little things like this can make a huge difference. You might not change the world by being grateful but you can definitely change your life.
If you look around and listen to people, you will find that most of us spend so much time debating about the bad things that happened, things we don’t have, things we wish for, or ways we would feel happier if our life would be different. The truth is that most people spend little time, if any at all, focusing on things they are grateful for. When is the last time you acknowledged all the things you have and all the positive things in your life? When is the last time you were grateful? If you think about it, we all have moments when we felt grateful for what we have. Usually these times occur when we’re either faced with something really painful (e.g. a mass shooting) or we encounter somebody who is less fortunate (e.g. someone who has a terminal illness).
Being grateful is recommended because it makes us behave better as people, but also because it is healthy for our minds. Reminding ourselves that we have a lot of things to be happy for and thankful for gives us hope and courage to move forward. Gratitude is a way of coping with depression and anxiety. Remember, it doesn’t cost you anything to start making a positive change in your life. Why not start today! Pay it forward and see what happens.
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha