The Fragrance for More

There's one cardinal rule of life that is often underestimated and so easy to dismiss. Gratitude—a fragrance that opens doors for more, and a heart full of it is favoured. A way of living that does more is often realised.

Ingratitude stinks. Let's be honest. One can easily become livid when they do things for people out of goodwill, perhaps even go out of their own way, and be unappreciated or taken for granted. Pretty much everyone hates that. And what ingratitude often does is to shut doors—just like one would choose "never to do such for this person ever again" for their unthankful behaviour.

It doesn't only apply to doing things for people and having them unappreciated, but it extends to our everyday lives and even the simple things we do or interactions we have. And, also, it doesn't even have to be between two people where ingratitude could cause havoc.

What are the words I tell myself? Do I often beat myself up? Am I always up and grateful in the morning? Do I think that yesterday was better than today? Attitude is everything, and gratitude is a lifestyle as well as a choice.

And the thing about being thankful and grateful doesn't only have to do with the words you say; it is also by the things you do, although there are moments when verbal expressions are necessary.

I think it is safe to say that people who aren't grateful usually find it hard. For such people, it's hard to find joy in little things or see the cup as half empty; bitterness wreaks of them, and they are generally favoured less compared to people that have completely different points of view.

Gratitude looks good on one. Gratitude makes one smell good. Gratitude opens doors for more. The word of God has made examples of this all through the Bible. We all know our brother, Kind David, the man who always praised God like his life depended on it—because it did—and that was his lifestyle.

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” And so it always was for the Psalmist, as well as it was for many in the Bible, like Hannah, Daniel, and Jesus, and they received more for their hearts of gratitude.

You know how much easier it is for you to want to do another for someone when it's clear that they were grateful for that last? Yes. That's an example. In interactions and conversations with people, a thankful person often has it better, and that's fact, at least way more than who's not.

And the thing about gratitude—one just can't fake it. It has to be genuine to be real. It's not even about the other person; it's about YOU. It's a state of being; a positivity mindset that somehow affects one's perception and response to their surroundings, which ultimately affects them.

It's something I am doing a lot more lately—being grateful for where I am and how far I have gotten. It's easy to just get caught up in what WAS and lose focus on what IS and what can be.

This year may not exactly resemble at surface level what I may have imagined, but it has made me into a much better version of myself through the experiences, endeavours, feats, achievements, and good people that have come my way. It's already a good year; it already was.

So I'm standing on business to not be shaken by keeping this mindset. What else would I rather do? Be cranky? That's draining, actually. Fragrance for more all the way!

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