The Art of Being Grateful

Agnes Larasati
Jul 24, 2019
4 min read

Updated: Sep 4, 2020

Arthur Conan Doyle once said,

“the little things are infinitely the most important”.

I grew up believing the opposite, that we should always aim to improve ourselves, the big things such as accomplishment, award matter, I guess it is human nature to never be satisfied. Isn’t it true? Somehow your gaze often returns to the people who are doing much better than yourself, at least in your mind. They are all part of something bigger, better, as though being yourself is not good enough. Perhaps someone else is actually thinking the exact same thing about you, that you are somehow more successful and strives to follow in your footsteps. But, this thought might seem strange.

The thing about chasing the big things-comparing yourself to others-is that it is a slippery slope. Menacing thoughts that keep you up at night might creep into your mind, you might think you will be happy once you do this, once you accomplish this, so close but so far away. “I will be happy if…” There is always something missing, something not right. How about being happy now, at this moment? Often, we sought happiness, when it is staring us in the face.

Let me tell you a story: when I was 10 years old I joined a speech competition. I wrote my own speech using the word “flood,” which at that time I thought was a sophisticated word. I was proud of myself for writing 500 words speech. I went up when it was my time and delivered my speech confidently. I wasn’t thinking about winning, I was enjoying the moment from writing my own speech until delivering it. I was focus on ‘the now’, the moment with all the opportunity it contained. I might win, I might lose but one thing for sure I rocked that speech and I felt happy. Looking back, I understood I was in the moment, enjoying and loving every single second of it.

“This moment, now, is a gift that is why it’s called present,”

my English teacher, Miss Monic used to say. On one morning, as she taught our class as always, she would slip in stories filled with moral lessons. For the longest time, for a variety of reasons, I would forget to be grateful. There are times I would take what I have for granted. This all changed when my homeroom teacher told my class to be grateful. She gave us three words we should use more often, ‘please’, ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’. At first, I felt unfamiliar using these three simple words. But sooner than later it became a habit. I noticed how so many people in my life help me. Being grateful though might seem simple is impactful towards me and everyone around me.

In every breath you take. In every motivation you get. In every exam you take. In every success and in every failure. In everything, please be grateful. As I grew up, I witnessed some people relinquished this, somehow forgetting that this moment, now, is a present. I am not an expert on happiness nor am I a master at life, but I would like to share my thought and experience. Some of us are imagining a future that has not yet here, while regretting, reminiscing their past, forgetting the ‘now’.

Stop, please take a breath. Take a closer look. Let’s answer these questions. Did you have roof above your head? Did you have enough money to pay for phone credit? Did you sleep well last night? Did you eat today? You might be numb to all these things because it has always been there. If you live in a house, get education, eat food, you are blessed. If you are alive today, you have the opportunity to do things you have always wanted to do. The places you visit, the relationship you build, the love you give and receive. Be thankful of it all. Take each moment as it comes only once.

Life has its ups and downs, it is like a sea we all sail in. Everyone is somehow just trying to make it through. Be kind and thankful. We all experienced some negativity at some point. It is how we respond that matters. We have more in common with others than we realize. However, one thing I hope more people would also have in common is being grateful for the little things.

There are so many things I’m grateful for, one that always stuck in my mind is loved ones. I have loving family and friends. For me, love builds a home, which holds love within it. A home for me is transformable, I find people who I feel is ‘my home’ because of love. I have some people I can turn to whenever I feel tired, and sad. Sources of energy and positivity. I hope you all can find other things to be grateful for.

With that, I’d like to end my piece today with...