To state what you have rather than to complain of what you do not have
Every time, before waking up and putting my feet on the ground, I find many reasons to thank God for my life, my family, my friends and for everything. I am sure that by expressing thanks aloud and in mind for a few dozen times on various occasions, we open a way to success. And when a man says, “Hey, bro, why should I be thankful, I am working all my life like a mule, but I have not become a master of anything, while Poghos…,” such a man can never be successful.
To be thankful, in my opinion, means to state what you have. Thereby, you expand the arena of your “having”. And vice versa, not being thankful for anything and talking about the things that you do not have, you are adding your losses. We hear at every step, “This car should not have gone ruined,” “this man should not have died,” “my co-worker should not have cheated on me.” Wait a minute. Against what we are fighting? Against the fact that has already been established? Is it worth spending time on it? And when such an event does not happen, do we say every day, “Thank you, my dear, that you exist,” “thank you, my dear colleague for working together”, “what a good that I arrived home today safely, too.” No, we do not usually say. If we say, this lavish world will give us new opportunities. If not, and if we focus on the “deficits”, anxieties, complaints and fears, this greedy world will impose new hardships on us.
Being thankful states what there is and releases tremendous energy to change what is not sufficient to you and is possible to change.
To be satisfied and be happy are absolutely different things. To be happy means to look in the mirror and say thank you that you have such a face, a body, such a family, health, work and so on. And be thankful that you do not suffice “status quo” in this-or-that matter and you have the strength to change it. You need to be happy right now, at this very moment, and you never need to suffice at all.
We had a school principle who had overly “orthodox” Communist views (which, so to say, happened rarely in early 1970s). This man was quite seriously explaining to us that there is no need to say “спасибо” (thank you) because its translation means “Save us, God!” And since the God, according to this school principle, does not exist, then there is no need to rely on his salvation. But I think the opposite, this Russian word perfectly reflects the meaning of the thankfulness because you ask God to save the soul of the one facing you. And if you have such a kind desire, if you are sending such a “signal” you, then surely, you will receive the same. In this regard, you should also be thankful for your “ill-wishers”, maybe there is also a message in their “evil-doings”.
Everything is very simple, you reap what you sow. If you want knowledge, share your knowledge; you want money, spend and divide your money; if you are short of time, do not save your time for your family. Why does this happen? Because when you give something without thinking long (first of all, of course, love, kindness and joy), thus you express your thankfulness that you have this “product”, as well as you show that it is not a “deficit” for you and for others.
Have you ever tried to compile a list of things, also the people, whom you are thankful for something? My list is very long and is constantly complemented by a new item. But in this list, I think many people would agree with the first item. This item is perfectly worded in the morning prayer of our Armenian Apostolic Church. “I thank Thee, O Lord my God, and bless and glorify Thy holy name that Thy kept your unworthy and sinful servant this night from all danger and temptations and brought peacefully to this morning this time and made me worthy of seeing the light of Thy mercy. Amen.”
