You were supposed to meet your friend an hour ago but you are still stuck in traffic. He is waiting in scorching heat with no shade. You know he is going to be very mad at you.
What if, the moment you see him, instead of a long sorry, you say: "Thank you so much for being so patient. I am really grateful to you for waiting for me so long in such hot weather."
See how his expressions change and his anger disappear. He would say, "It's ok yaar, I know how bad our city's traffic is." Using a Thank You instead of Sorry saved you both from a bad face-off and created a pleasant atmosphere.
As Alfred Painter has rightly put it: "Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality."
Saying a thank you is not just about being courteous — it is about your whole attitude towards life. It is about bringing positivity in your life. It is about appreciating the worth of life and being grateful for all things around you.
So how come we say Sorry for almost everything and Thank You for hardly anything?
We do have a lot to be thankful for — but we take all of it for granted. In fact we should be thankful for the very life that has been given to us.
Have you ever thanked God for giving you this life and the beautiful world He has created?
Have you ever thanked your parents for raising you into the wonderful human beings you are today — for dedicating their entire life for you?
Have you ever thanked your best friend who is always there for you?
Let's take a pledge today that we will be thankful for each and everything that comes our way, no matter how trivial it seems. Even when the going gets tough, we will be thankful — because that situation is going to make us better and stronger.
We will replace our Sorry with Thank You. We will replace each complaint with a Thank You. Because when you are thankful for what little you have, you end up having a lot more.
Wishing you Peace and Abundance — Ashay Shah
