Appreciation and Gratitude are two arms of Greatness
Appreciation can make a day and sometimes even change the life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. Similarly gratitude is the mother of all virtues.
A small start in that direction is showing gratitude to people who matter, such as our parents, our colleagues, our mentors and all those who have enriched our lives. We have to recognize that a debt of gratitude is an expression of an elevated soul; one who shines with an inner light. It’s such a tiny thing to say thank you, to feel gratitude. This leads to appreciation, which along with gratitude makes up the two arms of greatness.
The other small thing that we forget which makes all the difference is a ‘smile.’We forget the tiny courtesies that go a long way. A sense of appreciation leads to a cheerful attitude. A cheerful attitude gives one’s life vibrancy. Think of it, don’t people who always complain make others miserable? Don’t we all feel pulled down by whiners and complainers? Whereas, people who are cheerful pull your spirits up and inspire you. They are the types who look at punishment as a potential for improvement and see every situation in a positive light. And gratitude needs to start from the heart of one person.
Showing respect to others, especially when we do not agree with them, is tough. It is more important to be kind than to be right. When you are young, you feel it’s important to be right, to be correct at the cost of kindness, but sometimes you can do the correct thing kindly. That is your choice.
Extending a hand to help, a listening ear, that little act of living out of yourself; that itself is atonement
