Gratitude as a Personal Value

A Chosen State of Being.

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all others" - Marcus Tullius Cicero

When I first stumbled on this quote, I didn't quite get it. I mean, how is Gratitude the parent of all other virtues such as kindness, esteem, love, open-mindedness, courage, and all the others that we have revisited? Well, I figured it out as you will see.

Good morning, Personal Development Student! It's another beautiful week, full of promises and opportunities. It's no doubt that we will grow and become better people this week than we were last week.

Gratitude is simply looking at everything around you, and being thankful for it all. It's thinking of the very little things of life that you have enjoyed, and be grateful for it all. A person who reveres gratitude will always be a happy, contented person.

When you're ever grateful for all you have, more will come easily. Gratitude is like watering the seeds you already have. You'll harvest abundant fruits because of that posture.

You don't have to wait for your prayers to be answered before you're grateful. It's not until you get what you've been looking for that you then should employ gratitude. No. Gratitude is a state of being, not an attitude towards events. You can be ever grateful for fresh breath, for clean water, for your family, for the things that you already have. Even if you believe you don't have anything, simply the ability to know that you don't have anything is a possession of thoughts. You have thoughts! Also you have life that enables you to think that you don't have anything to be grateful for! See the irony?

Mahatma Gandhi once told a story, that he was unhappy about his shoes, and was complaining, and right there, he saw a man who had no legs. Be grateful. A grateful person is a Happy person. You will never have to worry a day in your life if you're grateful for the things you already have, and who you already are.

I now understand Cicero's quote, 'Gratitude is not just the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all others.' Gratitude begets kindness, if you're grateful, you will be kind to every thing around you, because you are grateful for them. You will be open minded and more receiving of knowledge, you will be filled with love and have the ability to love truly, because existing in gratitude is you acknowledging how much the universe, or whichever higher power you believe in, loves and is thoughtful of you.

Gratitude is a value.

You can decide, today, to be always and ever grateful for everything in your life. With this posture, instead of worrying about things you don't have, you are grateful about things you have, and you will go ahead to live a more positive, happier and more productive life.

Action: Be grateful. Actively look for things in your life to be grateful about, and magnify them with a heart of thanks.

To your growth 🥂 

Abiola Okunsanya,

Handzinspired.