Giving Cultivates Gratitude To be content with what you have, you must develop an attitude of gratitude. When you look at your life, you realize that while things may not be going the way you want, there is a lot to be thankful for. Recent times have taught us that being alive is something to be grateful for. Many people lost their lives to the pandemic. Surviving after contracting the virus; being healthy; not losing any of your family or friends to the virus; all this is something to be grateful for, considering the number of people who succumbed to the virus. Those who kept their jobs or a steady stream of income through numerous lockdowns also have a lot to be grateful for. No matter how tough life gets, if you look closely enough, you will find reasons to be grateful. Even when you enter the worst seasons of your life, maintain a thankful attitude. It does wonders for you and helps you stay strong through all moments of difficulty. Why does gratitude matter? People who find reasons to complain about everything are often grumpy and not fun to be around. Given the choice, anyone would rather spend time with people with a more positive demeanor. Grateful people are cheerful people. They look on the bright side, even during chaotic situations. That heart of gratitude attitude is contagious. It easily rubs off on other people. When you make gratitude part of your lifestyle, you can bounce back from adversity. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and misery, people who practice gratitude will get up and dust themselves off. They build resilience and the ability to endure through all kinds of tough situations. Gratitude becomes their weapon to fight off all other challenges. When things do not go according to plan, you must remain hopeful. You must believe that delay is not denial. Gratitude helps you to remain patient. It teaches you to not take failure or setbacks personally. Instead, you remain thankful for the knowledge you gain after every failed attempt. You learn what you can from the season and quickly move on from it. Ways to cultivate gratitude. Begin and end the day with gratitude. Starting the day on a positive note will give you the boost you need to tackle whatever lies ahead. Ending the day, in the same way, gives your mind the peace it needs for you to rest in preparation for what the next day may bring. Keep a gratitude journal in which you record things you are thankful for. During tough times, you will find inspiration to live a life of thankfulness. Express your appreciation to the people around you. Telling other people what contributions they make in your life will bring out your gratitude for having them in your corner. Such compliments go a long way to make people want to show up for you again. Give your time, energy, and resources to causes that speak to you. Giving comes from a full heart. It comes from a person who is grateful to have so much that they do not mind sharing. The relationship between gratitude and giving. When you are grateful for what you have, you do not struggle to share with others who are in need. A thankful person appreciates the many gifts that life brings. They acknowledge that they may not have everything they want, but they have enough to spare for those who are in a worse position than them. If you approach life from a position of thankfulness, you have little time to be anxious about the future. You live in the present, having faith that tomorrow will come with more resources to get through every other day. This makes it easy to share whatever you have. People who focus on what they lack always find it difficult to give. They hold on dearly to the little they have because of anxiety or uncertainty about the future. If they give, they do so with much murmuring. This is because they do not practice gratitude. They live within that scarcity mindset, so they focus more on ensuring that they have enough for themselves before giving anything away. Unfortunately, giving sparingly means that you will also receive sparingly. It closes you off from abundance. Instead of living freely, content with whatever you have, you live a life of constant worry that you will never have enough to go by. heart of gratitude To express gratitude for all you have, you can try giving back to others. You will realize how rewarding it is to transform the lives of others through your generosity. The more you part with, the more you become conscious of the things that give true meaning to life. You will see how some things are mere luxuries that you can afford to live without. Giving rids you of selfishness and greed. It teaches you to be content with having just enough, so long as it means others get a chance to live a happy life because of your generosity. Sharing whatever resources, ideas, or knowledge you have with others reflects the gratitude you carry in your heart for the many gifts that life gives you. The more you give, the more you open yourself up to more blessings. After you receive the rewards, you have more reason to be grateful. It turns into a cycle that cultivates more giving and even more gratitude. ‘Gratitude flows when we pay attention to what surrounds us and open our hearts to let it flow outwardly until it touches others.' Unknown.