Power of Gratitude

Pic Source: Google

Once upon a time, in a small village nestled in the rolling hills of the countryside, there lived a farmer named Naresh. Naresh was a hard-working man who spent his days toiling in the fields, growing crops to feed his family and the village. Despite his hard work, Naresh often found himself feeling grumpy and unhappy. He would complain about the weather, the pests that ate his crops, and the long hours he had to work.

One day, Naresh's neighbor, a wise old man named Krishna, came to visit him. "Naresh," said Krishna, "I have noticed that you are often unhappy and grumbling. What is the matter?"

Naresh sighed and said, "I work so hard, but it never seems to be enough. There is always something to complain about, and I never have time to enjoy the simple things in life."

Krishna nodded and said, "I understand how you feel. But have you ever tried practicing gratitude? When we focus on the things we are thankful for, it can help to shift our focus from the negative to the positive. It can also improve our overall well-being and happiness."

Naresh was skeptical, but he was also curious. He decided to give gratitude a try. Every day, he would make a list of three things he was thankful for. At first, it was difficult to come up with things to be grateful for, but as he continued to practice, he found that he was able to find more and more things to be grateful for.

As Naresh's gratitude practice grew, he began to notice changes in himself. He found that he was less grumpy and more content. He was also more appreciative of the people and things in his life. He found that he was able to enjoy the simple things, like the feel of the sun on his face or the sound of birds singing in the morning.

One day, a terrible storm swept through the village, destroying many of Naresh's crops. Naresh was devastated, but he remembered his gratitude practice. He made a list of the things he was thankful for, even in the midst of the storm. He was grateful that his family was safe, that he still had some crops left, and that the storm would eventually pass.

Thanks to his gratitude practice, Naresh was able to weather the storm with a positive outlook and a sense of hope. He continued to practice gratitude every day, and as a result, he found that he was happier and more content than he had ever been before.

“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears."

Pic Source: Google

Gratitude is the feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for the good things that we have or have experienced in our lives. It is a positive emotion that can improve our overall well-being and happiness. Research has shown that people who practice gratitude regularly are more likely to experience a variety of benefits, including increased happiness and life satisfaction, better physical health, stronger relationships, and reduced stress and anxiety.

One of the key benefits of gratitude is that it helps us to shift our focus from the negative to the positive. When we are feeling grateful, we are more likely to see the good in our lives and the people around us, and to be less critical and judgmental. This can help to reduce negative emotions and improve our mental and emotional well-being.

Gratitude can also strengthen our relationships. When we express gratitude to others, we make them feel valued and appreciated, which can improve communication and increase feelings of connection and closeness. This can be particularly important in romantic relationships, where gratitude has been shown to predict increased relationship satisfaction and stability.

In addition to its emotional benefits, gratitude can also have positive effects on our physical health. Research has shown that people who practice gratitude regularly have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and fewer aches and pains. Gratitude can also improve our sleep, which is essential for maintaining good physical health.

Finally, gratitude can help us to cope with stress and adversity. When we are facing challenges or difficult situations, gratitude can remind us of the good things in our lives and help us to maintain a positive outlook. This can make it easier to persevere and overcome obstacles, and can also help us to feel more resilient and better able to cope with stress.

Overall, gratitude is a powerful emotion that can have many positive effects on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. It can help us to cultivate a positive outlook, strengthen our relationships, improve our health, and cope with stress and adversity. By incorporating gratitude into our daily lives, we can reap the many benefits of this important emotion.

Please respond the survey, I am conducting, as a part of my research by clicking on >> Leadership Competencies required for managers while handling crisis situations. 

(Opinions are purely personal & does not represent my organizations, current or past) 

Author's books are available on Amazon, Flipkart, Pothi and BookGanga. You can buy the print copy of Vitality in Human Resources on amazon. Click >> Vitality in Human Resource: Adding human dimensions in HR processes    

Royalty from books is used for social cause. 

Toxic Parrot

Toxic Parrot is our state of mind which is self critical, negative and unhelpful for self and others.

“Do you know that we carry a colourful but very dangerous parrot every moment?”.  He asked.

“What? What do you mean by that?” My reply.

“Parrot is a bird, it learns what you teach it, it will recite what he listened without understanding the meaning of that.”

“Yes, parrots are like that. They have a strong memory.”

“But imagine that you get that parrot. You don’t know from where it is. It doesn't have any knowledge, wisdom, or insight.”

“Ok!”

“However, this parrot is fed with self-criticism, negative thought and is always critical with others. What will you call that parrot?” He asked me.

“Of course, it is a toxic parrot.” I replied

“Yes, Toxic parrots are specifically trained to be unhelpful to you continuously commenting on you, your life and others in a way that constantly puts you down.”

“This is interesting, I like the metaphor.” Indeed, it was a great metaphor.

“This toxic parrot will always criticize you for everything, putting down your self-image. For example, when you don’t get the promotion in the office, it will criticize that you are not worth for the promotion, you are dumb and there are others more deserving candidates. If you are late for catching a bus, it will say, there you are … late latif… as usual... you can’t, useless.”

“And how this parrot is harmful to others?” I had a question.

“Toxic parrot while criticizing you, it will also criticize others because of unhappiness. It will ask you to blame others. It will give a constant message negatively about others also.”

“You are right, yet we can often put up with the thoughts from this internal bully for far too long. We hear that “parrot‟, believe the “parrot‟, and naturally get upset. That then affects the way we live our lives – the way we behave towards others, how we are, what we think about others, what we think about the world, and how we think and feel about ourselves.” I said.

“Wow, absolutely, you are getting it now” He smiled,

“But how we can keep shut the toxic parrot.”

“There is an Antidote for this.”

“Antidote and how to use that?”

“Simple, just notice that toxic parrot, and cover the cage!”

“Means?”

“Imagine that you are throwing a towel to the cage where the toxic parrot is.”

“Just reinforce the message, there’s that parrot again. I don’t have to listen to it. It’s just a parrot”. He told me, “Then go and do something else. Put your focus of attention on something else, distract yourself from the toxic parrot.”

“Is it so easy? By doing this will it keep its mouth shut?”

“No, this parrot is toxic, and it won’t give up easily, so you’ll need to keep using that antidote and be persistent in your practice! Eventually it will get tired of the towel, tired of you not responding. You’ll notice it less and less. It might just give up its poison as your antidote overcomes it, or perhaps fly off to wherever toxic parrots go.”

(The story is written by Vinod Bidwaik, based on the concept of “The Malevolent Parrot” by Kristina Iving)

Author's book are available on Amazon, Flipkart and BookGanga 

Vitality in Human Resource is now available in paperback edition. Please click here to buy

Baking on a stove top

 Article by Guest Author:- Shaheen Maniar

Some years ago a couple moved into our neighborhood.  They were a friendly and happy couple.   Soon they became the favourite “uncle” and “aunty” to all the children.  The “uncle” is the quintessential food lover.  Luckily for him, his young wife is a fantastic cook.  Exotic aromas always drift out of their kitchen window.  All the kids in the locality know that “aunty” is a great baker because, fortunately for them, she also loves to feed hungry school children – loading them with generous helpings of cakes and bread!!

Sometimes “uncle” potters around the kitchen when his wife is baking and also helps her with her cooking.  Since they spend so much time in the kitchen, it is a big and comfortable place with modern gadgets to help speed the process.  They regularly invest in the latest in frying pans, steamers, poachers apart from mixers, and of course, they have a lovely microwave oven – the pride of their kitchen; as it helps not just re-heat but bake and grill and also cook complicated Indian recipes.

But one thing always intrigued everyone. Though “aunty” had an oven, she always baked her cakes on a slow-fire stove.  When asked about it, she smiled mysteriously and said “that’s how my mom baked”.  One day, aunty’s mother came to visit and was asked why she baked her cakes on the stove.  Aunty’s mom too replied “that’s how my mom baked”.

This, I think, made the husband very curious.  The next week-end, when they called up the grandma; eager to know what the secret was; he cautiously asked her why she baked on a stove.  She answered “My husband worked very hard to provide for his family.  We were comfortable, but we could not afford an oven.  So I baked on the stove we had”.

Since then, he has been teasing his wife about this revelation of the ‘secret’ of the lovely cakes.

But let’s be honest with ourselves.  How many of us do things in a certain way because our parents (read seniors, bosses and predecessors in office situations) did it that way?  They may have had reasons just like grandma above did.  But was that the best way to do it?  How many will experiment with set “systems”?

The adventure is not in the destination – it is in the journey.  But sadly, most of us have made the journey a routine and boring chore.  Unfortunately, we have killed our curiosity and creativity by giving in to the comfort of mediocre familiarity.  Somewhere, in our daily routines of work and home, we have lost our sense of adventure.  And adventure need not be in seeking the unknown in a remote jungle . . . why not just take a new route to office tomorrow morning, and discover a part of the city you never visited? Or walk down an unfamiliar road this weekend – just out of curiosity? Let the journey and not the destination be the happiness.

(Shaheen Maniar is a qualified, Pune based, behavioral skills trainer. She has been training for Corporates and Institutes since 2002. She is a proficient and passionate facilitator; the English language, Business Communication and Presentations being her forte. Apart from training and development. Her hobbies include reading and she is part of various story-telling and social groups.)

Now you can also write for this blog. Only one condition: Your contribution should be original