There is something beautiful about new beginnings. In the new year, we think about our hopes, set resolutions, and imagine all the good that might come to us.
Sometimes, we are tempted to be greedy in our desires, chasing inconsequential things. Even though dreaming big is not a bad thing, it can sometimes come from an insincere place.
Expressing gratitude helps us strike a balance between optimism and avarice. Let’s discuss the concept of gratitude and understand some important lessons it can teach us.
No time to read the whole post? Read the summary here.
5 Lessons in Gratitude for the New Year
Table of Contents
What is gratitude?
Gratitude is the appreciation we show for the things we find valuable. Expressing gratitude for significant accomplishments and materialistic gain is easy, but remaining grateful for smaller, less visible things is a muscle that needs exercising.
Realistically, it’s much easier to ruminate on negative events. Sadness and despair are a part of life. These experiences are inescapable and deserve to take up space during difficult times. However, we should also reserve room to experience joy.
Expressing gratitude has been scientifically proven to help reduce stress, improve mental health and nurture optimism. It isn’t a magic fix-all, but we can train ourselves to look for our blessings where we least expect to find them.
Here are five things gratitude can teach us:
Silence Your Pride
Self-assurance and dignity are part of human fulfilment. Pride is good in measured amounts. It builds self-esteem and makes us feel valuable.
We develop pride in ourselves when we achieve something extraordinary. People may admire our character or possessions. But If we’re not careful, we may find ourselves chasing the ideals of others or becoming full of ourselves.
Pride should not hold us back from giving credit where credit is due. When we express gratitude, we acknowledge that success is the sum of our hard work and the efforts of all the people we leaned on in the process. We make ourselves vulnerable enough to admit that we are not superheroes who save the world alone – that success is often a community effort.
When we silence unnecessary pride, we begin to understand that what we have will never be as valuable as who we have.
Keep Your Community In Mind
To expand on the first theme, no one survives without the help of others. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it’s true. Our parents, siblings, teachers, and friends have all made us who we are today.
Naturally, we should recognise and reciprocate those efforts. The important people in our lives should know how much we value them. This strengthens our bonds. Our loved ones help us without expecting anything in return. Yet, we should still show them how thankful we are and pay that kindness forward.
Celebrate Life
It’s easy to get lost in routine. How often do we pay attention to the birds? What would happen if the sun never came up again? We take many things for granted. We open our eyes each morning as if they’re a given. We leave the house, assuming we’ll return in the evening, but many of us know how suddenly life can change.
In the chaos of each busy day, let’s remember to look up at the sky. Let’s hug our parents and tell people we love them. Let’s buy our pets their favourite snack and get ourselves flowers. There is so much beauty in the world that we routinely miss.
We should show gratitude for the life around us. It can quickly be taken, so while we have it, let’s make sure we have little to regret.
Give Yourself Grace
If you have regrets, forgive yourself. Things happen that are out of our control. Even worse, there are things that we could’ve controlled but didn’t know any better at the time. Anger and grief are natural, valid emotions, but we shouldn’t keep hurting ourselves over things we cannot change.
Though difficult, gratitude is possible even when our world feels fragile. Each experience has a lesson to teach us, even if we learn it years later. And if there is no lesson, we should give ourselves the grace of forgiveness for sometimes getting it wrong.
Love Will Find You
Sometimes, to love is to regret. However, loving someone is not a mistake. It is evidence of the wealth we hold in our hearts. Love given freely is love that will be returned, even if not in the ways we expect.
Show gratitude to the people who have loved you and allowed you to love them, even if only for a short while. People capable of profound love can never be lonely for long.
Be thankful to your heart for having the ability to love so freely and firmly. It is not your fault that others may not be capable of the same. Thank them for their time and affection anyway.
Summary
Gratitude is the appreciation we show for the things we find valuable. It benefits our mental health and helps us see the world in a more positive light. There are many things we can learn from practising gratitude. These are the five lessons I want to share:
- Silence your pride: Don’t let your pride become harmful. Make sure to show gratitude toward the people who helped you succeed.
- Keep community in mind: We are only as strong as the communities that build us.
- Celebrate life: All life ends. We should value it as long as it allows us to.
- Give yourself grace: Gratitude can also mean forgiving yourself for the past and taking the lessons it taught you.
- Love will find you: The ability to love is beautiful. Even love lost is an opportunity to reflect on the love we can give.
Conclusion
As we look toward the future with grand wishes, let’s spare a thought for all we have and may have taken for granted. Let’s allow gratitude to guide us and teach us new lessons as we embrace the good that will come to us.