Practicing Gratitude: Order Amidst Chaos

Learning from Ants: Order and Chaos

Have you noticed the buzzing activities at an ant hill? At the outset you may feel that there are too many ants hurrying and scurrying here and there. Observe a bit more carefully, and you will notice the order that exists in the seeming chaos. We can learn a lot from the ants to bring meaning and depth to our life by practicing gratitude.

In our everyday life, we mindlessly hurry towards attaining certain goals without being mindful of the journey. We are running daily to complete our never ending to-do list in the hope of improving our lives. Are we truly able to achieve happiness and contentment through all this hurry and scurry?

If we could bring some semblance of order to our mindset in our chaotic life, then perhaps we may be happier and content!

Practicing Gratitude – to me is an arrangement, a mental model (in the form of change in attitude followed by action) adopted in a bid to bring structure in our chaotic world.

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.

Oprah Winfrey

Gratitude: Bringing Order Amidst Chaos

Mindfulness or being in the present is the buzzword these days. We can start by becoming mindful to both the chaos and order in our life.

Here, I mean chaos to be things that are either not in our control, or not happening in the manner we want them to happen.

Similarly order would refer to all the things that fall in place perfectly in your life.

We do not acknowledge what we truly have – all those several things which are missing in the lives of innumerable people and rather choose to take note of what we lack.

Expressing gratitude empowers us in numerous ways. I have elaborated on this adequately in another article on reasons to be grateful and benefits of gratitude.

How can we bring gratitude into our life?

In the hurry and scurry of the ants to get their work of accumulating food for the rainy day, they continue to maintain the discipline of following the leader, take the path of success laid down by others and circumvent the obstacles in their path, even if it takes them several attempts.

What if we could bring in a similar discipline of following the leader? We could be following the path to success as laid down by other successful ancestors/predecessors. We can then enjoy the journey of life, while dealing with all the obstacles, failures and adversities we may encounter en route.

When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.

Anthony Robbins

When in a truly meditative state, one is aware of all the things happening in his/her life as well as all around. This includes both the good and the bad, and yet one chooses to be detached to the outcome of the life journey. This is a big part of the attitude of gratitude.

When one is happy to just continue on his/her chosen journey (despite obstacles) and help the fellow beings on the way to their destination, one may enjoy a state of gratitude.

Practicing Gratitude

The practice of expressing gratitude is one of the easiest ways to acquire and develop an attitude of gratitude. There could be many ways to express it. The best way is to practice what attracts you and feels authentic to who you truly are. Some of the ways to express gratitude are:

Living in a state of gratitude is the gateway to grace.

Arianna Huffington

Verbal expression of gratitude

The easiest would be to say “Thank you” as many times as possible throughout the day. Appreciating the positive in your life helps in developing a positive mindset. Similarly appreciating the good things done by others for us, helps in reinforcing a positive mindset in others as well as encourages us to appreciate the order that repeatedly comes into our life in the midst of all the chaos.

Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything they do for you.

Brian Tracy

Written expression of gratitude

The habit of regularly writing that, for which one is grateful, helps to capture the order within the chaos. This helps to reinforce positivity in our life. It also helps to compile material for later reference in times when one is feeling low and negative.

It may be as brief or as elaborate as you may feel comfortable with. It could be in the form of a ‘Gratitude Journal’ or a ‘Thank you Letter’ or even a simple ‘Thank you Note’.

Actions as an expression of gratitude

As the saying goes – actions speak louder than words. Developing empathy and compassion to help our fellow beings through selfless acts or by sharing what we have, can turbocharge us. We could help by sharing our tangible wealth by donating books, food, medicine etc. or by sharing our intangible wealth such as our time or skills. Through this route, we deliberately choose to focus on others and the positive contributions that we make to the world. Engaging unconditionally in such purposeful service brings us peace and contentment.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.

John F. Kennedy

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.

Eckhart Tolle

The goal should be to express gratitude as a way of life. Making it a part of your everyday life and all the small moments will add up to make a memorable journey of life.

Editor’s Note:

If you enjoyed reading this article, then read about what is ‘Gratitude‘ and its benefits and about meditation and its benefits. You may also like to read about how to deal with confusion and dilemma and about how to deal with heartbreak by the same author Crispy Maheshwari.

About The Author

Crispy Maheshwari is the Founder of FTEM (From The Experts’ Mouth).

She is very creative and multi-talented. She likes to write, paint and craft. Crispy loves to network, motivate people, teach and spread positivity.

Some of her work has been published in leading national newspaper, International Literary Journals and has also been translated to other languages.

She graduated from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi and has dual professional qualifications – Chartered Accountant and Lawyer (Faculty of Law, University of Delhi).

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