This weekend I was at a Graduation Ceremony.
I love attending such events for one reason and one alone : The Speeches!
There were speeches from the Principal, the chief guests the valedictorian and they all had their nuggets of gold to offer. However, this one quote stuck with me. I brought it home with my and wrote it down in my journal for safe keeping.
The next day, I was ruminating about life, and this quote resurfaced in my mind:
“What you Appreciate, Appreciates”
Often, we are focused on either reminiscing about our pasts, or worrying about the future. Well guess what, whatever has happened, has happened. What is gone, was never meant to stay. What is yet to come is not for us to fret about.
We only have what we have, and if we appreciate that, then it will appreciate. If not, it will depreciate.
If we appreciate the relationships we have, they will grow deeper. If we don’t, they will grow weaker. If you appreciate your talent’s and gifts, they will flourish. If you don’t they will languish. If you appreciate the love in your life, it will grow. If not, it will fade.
We all know that at times it is difficult to remain conscious of all that we have to be grateful for, and it is only during times of crises or loss that we realize how precious these things are to us.
I’d like to leave you with these beautiful words from Helen Keller’s “Three Days to See”. Helen had no sight, so one day when she took her friend for a walk in the woods anticipating her friend to describe the beauty of nature to her, she was pretty much dismayed when her friend said there was “nothing of note” that she saw. And so she wrote:
I wondered how it was possible to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing of note. I who cannot see find hundreds of things: the delicate symmetry of a leaf, the smooth skin of a silver birch, the rough, shaggy bark of a pine… use your eyes as if tomorrow you will have been stricken blind.
Here are three simple practices that you can do to celebrate and grow the things that you’re grateful for in life
1. Practice writing down 3 things you are grateful for daily.
Be specific about what you are grateful for. Don’t just say “family” or “work”. Describe in detail what exactly you appreciate about your family or work. It will also help if you actually felt it. Take a moment to hold the family member or work experience in your heart and feel the emotions.
2. Collect pictures.
When you start focusing on beauty, you will end up with a beautiful collection of people, places, animals, objects, landscapes, which will serve as a reminder of the beauty all around you.
3. Express your appreciation for people.
Think about someone who means the world to you and write them a letter expressing your heartfelt appreciation for what they mean to you. Be as specific as you can about what they have done that you appreciate, and if possible deliver it in person.
Remember, by taking the time to appreciate the good things already present in our life, we are only going to create more of it. Let’s start NOW.
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