Blog - November 7, 2022

Day 7 : The November Happiness Challenge 2022

Gratitude

“And if you are thankful, I will give you more” (Quran: Surah Ibrahim, vs 7) If the Almighty can clearly tell us to be grateful because it indeed opens the pathway to more blessings, then I don’t think we should require more convincing that Gratitude is one of the best traits anyone should possess. Many times, we get so lost in seeking more bounty from our Creator, that we forget to thank Him for the numerous blessings and gifts He has bestowed on our lives. I have a habit of thanking God after my daily prayers continously without asking of anything. This is because I have realized that Gratitude indeed opens more doors and shows total submission to His will. Many of us pray to God for particular things and when we get at least one of those things, we briefly thank Him and move on to the next requests. Our God is a faithful God and He is better than Man, so of course He would keep blessing us regardless, but why not follow what He has instructed us to do about being thankful to guarantee more and better blessings from Him?  Yinni Yinni, Keni se mi  (A Yoruba adage) The above adage loosely translates to : “Thank someone and someone does more”. Can you see how similar it is to the aforementioned verse from the holy book? This is to tell you that beyond religion, even our cultures support and encourage Gratitude. I’m making this inference because I am a Yoruba lady but I believe other cultures especially in my country, encourage this too. It is very heartbreaking to see people receive things in form of help/assistance or any form of kindness without appreciating it. The person who does the good deed might not really care about your nonchalance but if you indeed thank them, they would feel better for it and would be driven to do more. Now, don’t get me wrong. We shouldn’t practise gratitude solely because we are expecting more. No,we should practise gratitude because it is the right thing to do and it shows courtesy. I see and hear people say that others should do things without expecting thank you and I chuckle. There are probably valid reasons for them to arrive at this advice but please don’t bring that close to me. I expect Thank you when I do things for people, and I would never be reminded to thank people for their kindness towards me. What does it really cost us? Having the habit of grattiude goes a long way and it isn’t only for grand gestures. Even the everyday efforts from others that make our lives better and easier should be appreciated no matter how much we feel entitled to it. For instance, if your parents always give you money for upkeep, or they pay your school fees, or they make moves to ensure that you are okay, always thank them in many ways and don’t just receive the gestures with entitlement. They could have decided to not do any of those things, you know. Look around you! My partner always thanks me after every meal. He never misses it and sincerely? It makes me feel very good. Imagine  doing something daily that you are used to doing, and the recipient still makes it a habit to thank you for it, you will feel great and encouraged. Another example is the way my friends always thank me for being a good friend to them. I am a sucker for words, so you can imagine the joy on my face when they do this. I even once received a gift with the title: “Thank you for being my friend” and I don’t need to tell you how overjoyed I feel. I need to reiterate that I don’t only receive gratitude, I give it too. My friends would tell me that I can thank someone from now till forever and we’d all laugh about it. I rarely forget favours and I try as much as possible to not feel entitled to people’s time and assistance. So, if you do something for me no matter how little you think it is, I will thank you so much you’d get tired of it. What really does it cost us to be thankful? I once tweeted that Vendors should aknowledge when their customers pay them and also send a thank you, and customers can also do this when they receive items they are pleased with, e.t.c. It surprised me the number of people who didn’t think it necessary to thank their customers for paying since it was a transaction but my point didn’t negate that an exchange happened, I am just saying, why not thank them for keeping to their end of the bargain? Again, what does it cost us? The attitude of non gratitude is what makes many people consider what others do to them as bare minimum. You go online and see someone praising their partners for the wonderful things they do to make their life better and you’d see people there telling them that it is bare minimum and they shouldn’t be thanking a fish for swimming. This is always mind boggling to me because why does someone else’s gratitude bother you so much? This person knows why they are thanking their partner for these things and they know that even if it was their role, they still needed to be thanked for doing it because what if they don’t? I implore all of us to imbine the habit of gratitude from today and if we already practise it, we shouldn’t ever stop. Saying and typing ‘Thank you’ should never be far from our mouths and hands. Let us always be described as the people of Gratitude, it is a very beautiful description. Today, we are going to reflect and say the things we are thankful for.  For me, I am thankful for the ability to put my thoughts into words and write them, and I am thankful for you, my amazing reader. I’ll be back. OBA  

Comments (20)

  1. harleyma_

    November 7, 2022

    I’m grateful for my family and friends for their support. May God almighty continue to ease their paths. Amen

    • November 7, 2022

      Amin, thank you, dear Halima

  2. Anuoluwa

    November 7, 2022

    It’s not always easy but there’s always something to be grateful for when we think deep.

    • November 7, 2022

      There is always something to be thankful jor.

  3. Uchenna

    November 7, 2022

    Gratitude is a must!!!
    I grew up in a home where we were taught gratitude. After every meal, we had to thank God for His divine provision, thank my parents for providing and thank my siblings for the gift to share a meal with them and I loved it so much. Looking back, I miss those days. We are now all grown and in different parts of the world but that foundation still stands. I would randomly call up my siblings and thank them for being the best.
    Today I am grateful for the gift of family, the gift of great friends, my job and colleagues and for everything around me. They have all shaped me in one way or the other. Most especially I am thankful for you Omotolani !

    • November 7, 2022

      And I am very very thankful for you. So glad our paths crossed

  4. Blessing Amadi

    November 7, 2022

    Very Educative

  5. Ayodeji

    November 7, 2022

    Alhamdulillah ala kulli hal

  6. Temitope

    November 7, 2022

    Tolani, you see this post, it was for me. Of all the things I learnt from you, gratitude is the one I’ve held on to the most. I notice people being warmer to me when I thank them. I also remembered when I did a week of praise. That one week, I didn’t ask for anything, I just thanked God. Even yesterday in church, they told us that when things go bad, we should thank God for that because all things work together for our good.

    Sorry for the long story, thank you for this post.

    • November 8, 2022

      This is so heratwarming and I’m glad that our friendship is making us the better for people around us. Love you

  7. Busari Titilayo Tawa

    November 8, 2022

    I appreciates gratitude a lot and my children knows Several times you go out of your convenience to do things for people and they feel entitled and see no reason why you should be thanked for this,it please me off.I’m proud of you Omotolani and your siblings, you thank us for even being your parents. lol.Remain blessed

  8. Ameenah

    November 8, 2022

    I am thankful for my family , friends , colleagues and my job because in one way or the other they have impacted my life for the better .
    I am thankful for good health and clear skin 😁😁😁

  9. Anike

    November 8, 2022

    Alhamdulillah always

  10. Badmus

    November 8, 2022

    I don’t know why people see it as a big deal or complex booster, there is a yoruba adage that translates loosely as “Prostrating for dwarf doesn’t impend your growth”. The first character I look out for when meeting anyone is how they appreciate gestures and services, especially when it’s paid for.

    • November 9, 2022

      Appreciation really goes a long way,I wish people would know this.

  11. Olatoun

    November 8, 2022

    I am thankful for love, family, Allah’s blessings and I am very very thankful for you.😘

    • November 9, 2022

      As I am for you, my love

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