Recently, I got an invite to speak to a network of professionals who are in their twenties. Impatient, hungry to do more, and living life on relative basis (life is how it looks on social media). This network connects every month to discuss and learn important aspects of work and life. I have been asked to speak to them on how being grateful is the most essential gift one can give oneself.
I have to talk to them next week. I was struggling with building a story, a narrative for this dialogue. I didn't want to talk theories or concepts. I wanted it to be deep rooted in action, in what happens to us on an everyday basis but how it misses our attention (by now am sure you'd know about my fascination and belief in everyday happenings ... Have tried to keep my blogs grounded).
Thankfully, today I witnessed something extra ordinary. A story of a gentleman who got visually impaired when he was a kid, his passion for cricket and his unending desire to get educated. He got is degree in M.Phil.
He did not let his physical disability to limit his hunger to live to his fullest and build a legacy worth emulating. He is the president of World Blind Cricket Ltd and the Cricket Association for the Blind in India. Played many national and international tournaments. He didn't stop there. Having witnessed the struggle himself, he laid foundation for the association in India. He started an organisation which helps people with visually impaired to believe in themselves and make best with what the universe has given them. Even the Prime minister spoke about him and the team in one of his speeches.
Some of the students from the organisation gave an endearing musical performance. No limitations could take away their talent. They accepted what they were endowed with and made the best of it. They didn't waste their life being unhappy with what they didn't have, or felt entitled about anything or felt that the world owes them anything. They did what they were capable of.
"Even the word disability has ability in it," someone said. An important lesson I thought. I got what I was looking for. A lot of people who heard this story and witnessed the performance, without taking away anything from the inspiration and talent, accepted how we forget to count our blessings.
We are abundant in ourselves. With energy and inspiration, with purpose and tools to achieve them, with abilities and avenues to leverage them. Yet, how often are we fixated with what we don't have? Focusing incessantly on the limitations?
Why?.
Well, I'm no expert but in my limited experience I feel we are too busy being unhappy about not being who we thought of ourselves to be, or what the world wants us to be or not having enough to our desires or in comparison to people on the social media. We are being less happy about who we really are and what we have got.
The difference between being grateful and ungrateful is where we focus our energies and thoughts. Whether on what we don't have or what we have. On denials or affirmations.
I am so glad I could witness this today. Somewhere I needed it to remind myself before I could talk to those young (er) professionals.
While I don't believe in comparing our lives with that of others, but we can always be grateful if the universe has been kind to give us something that shouldn't be taken for granted. Offlate I have not been able to maintain my journal of gratefulness, but for sure I have stuff to write about today.
Exercise I follow on most days:
- Note down what I'm grateful for before going to bed
- thank the universe
- focus on what I have and what I can do with it
- Repeat
Universe is all about abundance.
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