Dr.C.S.Raju
Born to taste Success -27
Everybody owes a great number of people in his/her life. But people don’t understand this point and recognize those people. For a typical example, when somebody on an occasion like getting a prestigious promotion throws a party. All the invitees (let us assume all are close to the person giving party) don’t feel, behave and comment in the same manner. Let us hypothetically see four categories.
Category A’s feelings and comments:
Warmest and happiest feelings inside the heart.
Excellent party, nice party, wonderful party- Thank you very much.
Category B’s feelings and comments:
Satisfactory feelings.
But no words of expression but a simple smile.
Category C’s feelings and comments:
No positive feelings.
Party was okay, but the number of items was less.
Category D’s feelings and comments:
Negative feelings.
Comments outside: A dull party; No taste in any item.
If you are in the shoes of the person giving the party whom will you like? Certainly category A.
There are some people whose full-time job in life is only complaining and finding fault with anything and everything and with anybody and everybody.
Let us reflect on a story which it is understood Winston Churchill used to tell in many of his speeches.
A boy around 10 years slipped and fell into a well. There was a sailor who had come on a long leave. When people surrounding that area screamed, the sailor rushed, dived into the well, struggled with the boy and with great difficulty brought the boy to safety. The boy was sent to his house by the neighbours who were witness to the entire scene.
The next day the boy’s mother went to the sailor’s house and asked him “Are you the sailor who rescued my son yesterday?” The sailor nodded his head in affirmation. The mother instead of uttering even a word of thanks straightaway demanded the sailor, “Where is his hat?”
There are numerous people who are like the lady in the above story. There is no feeling of gratitude. Instead, they are in fault finding mode throughout their life. If you want your life to grow and expand, practise gratitude as a regular activity throughout your life. You can find your life shining more and more.
Positive people focus on what is right and brush away the negatives. Negative people not only focus on what is not right but manipulate or see with microscope to find fault.
Let us see another example. A beggar was begging in front of a temple. One of the pilgrims dropped a one rupee coin. Instead of thanking, the beggar stared at the pilgrim and told “You must be a stingy person. Nowadays what can I get for one rupee?” See the attitude of the beggar. This is the attitude of the person at the lowest economic level. There are millions of people even at a higher economic level having the same type of attitude.
Whatever help we get in the form of material or service, we should generate gratitude in our mind and express it spontaneously, explicitly and happily. It should not be merely formal and pretended but should emanate from your heart and mind.
