Being grateful for what you do for us goes far beyond saying “thank you”
We are all taught as children to say “thank you” but how many people understand what is behind this powerful word? It is important to be grateful but it is much more important to know what we are being grateful for.
Gratitude is a very positive feeling that motivates us to be better every day with those around us.
Learning to be truly grateful
If we remember some moments from our childhood, we can see our parents asking us to say “thank you” when we receive something from someone, either because they gave us a gift or helped us with something. But to tell the truth, who in their childhood understood what this word could really mean? Surely, we saw gratitude as a customary word that should be said only as a matter of protocol.
Of course, our brains didn’t know at the time what the word “protocol” meant either, but since as children we act a lot by repetition, even if we don’t understand the meaning of things, we repeat them because that’s how it was established. Then we grew up, and now we can’t let a day go by without saying thank you for anything.
There are countries, civilisations and cultures that are in fact grateful a dozen times over for certain situations. For example, if they go to a restaurant, they are grateful when the waiter brings the menu, when he takes the order, when he places the cutlery, when he serves the dishes, when they take the dishes out, when they pay the bill and when they leave. If you think about it, this waiter will have received ten thanks from the same customer.
Now, there is the other side of the coin with those civilizations, cultures and countries where this custom does not exist, people live more selfishly and it is impossible for them to say thank you and anyone who does is seen as a freak. And just as no one thanks, no one expects to be thanked for anything.
However, gratitude is an invitation to be better individuals, it is a way we can motivate ourselves to do more for others. The power of a “thank you” can positively stimulate people’s moods.
Just think for a moment is the person who insists on doing simple and extraordinary favors for others but never receives the thanks of anyone. What could motivate him to remain gentle? Nothing really. So, if we can do so much good with just one word, why not say it?
Let’s take advantage of the fact that in this world there are so many things to be thankful for and let’s start saying “thank you” much more often and understand what it means. To say “thank you” is to reflect on how good and grateful we feel for what others have done for us.
In a world where many prefer to think only of themselves, it should be very satisfying to meet someone who is willing to be nice to us. Such a person is not let down, but instead is thanked as much as possible.