My Definition of Gratitude

It has been a while you have heard from me, and I am glad to be back sharing on this platform. This is because, in the last year, I have been busy learning and reshaping my career. Nonetheless, I will be resuming writing and posting on my blog, and I hope somehow you will learn a thing or two. 

Some days ago, I was talking to a friend, and the conversations led to showing gratitude or being thankful. And a thought spark. Gratitude does not lie in saying thank you. There are many people who say thank you, but deep down, it is not genuine. And you can quickly see through that. 

I am not saying that people should not say thank you but showing gratitude is a way of life. It is a feeling. You feel it. It is in the attitude of being there for another person and paying it forward. 

It is a feeling that I am privileged to have gotten this opportunity, and I understand that there were people who were there for me, and I am willing to be there for others. Even if it is just one person, and others too will feel the same and do it for others. I once read a quote that says that, 

You do not need to pay back what I have done to you, but you pay back by paying it forward to others”, and that could mean a little thing. It could mean listening to at least one person. 

However, there are times where people would want to take your act of showing gratitude for granted. Where a lot of people are coming to you for support and help. You also have to understand that you have a bandwidth, and you cannot help everyone. 

I have always tried to help as many as possible, but it is not sustainable. You may end up burning out and not being able to pursue your calling. Rather, my act of gratitude is to be there for at least one person and show up for others if time permits. Knowing that they would also extend that act of gratitude to other people. And that is what it means to be grateful. 

Gratitude is a way of life, and it is a feeling. Gratitude is an act of being there for at least one person.  

Hammed Kayode Alabi (c) 2021