now, no signup required!
Imagine you’re at work feeling exhausted, but there’s still a lot left to do. Your colleague notices and offers to take a few tasks off your plate. It’s likely their gesture will make you feel grateful; maybe you’ll even take them out for a meal after work!
If you’re ever in a fix and someone goes out of their way to help you, expressing gratitude for their actions will make them feel appreciated.
Often, we forget to say thanks or express how we feel, expecting someone to understand without being told explicitly or in so many words. But making an effort to acknowledge kindness will make you and the other person happy. Expressing gratitude is the simplest—but overlooked—way to maintain positive and healthy relationships with others.
Let’s look at different ways to express gratitude and how they can help you become a compassionate person.
How To Express Gratitude
Being grateful for someone or something is common during the course of your life. It can be your parents, your home or a well-paying job. It’s easy to overlook the importance of expressing gratitude because we tend to take things for granted. But this isn’t to say that you can’t start right now. It’s never too late to say ‘thank you’ if you have the will to start.
Here are some ways to express your gratitude:
-
Be Respectful To Everyone
Being respectful to everyone is a basic quality that we can develop. Everyone including your Uber driver and your server at a restaurant deserves equal respect. If you can develop the habit of being respectful to them in your communication, you may even make their day. Many of us forget to acknowledge their efforts because it’s expected of them. But everyone loves to be appreciated and commended for their hard work.
-
Use Your Words Wisely
You should always be careful with your words and choose them wisely. Instead of using curt or blunt responses, you can always try to be kinder and use please or thank you when making requests. There are people who snap their fingers to get someone’s attention—not a very kind thing to do. We have the power of words on our side, so we must use them well.
-
Engage In Volunteer Activities
Giving back to society is one of the best examples of expressing gratitude. Volunteering at an orphanage or a senior care home can leave you feeling satisfied and fulfilled. It’s a very meaningful activity where you get to help those who need it. You can pick a cause you believe in or work with several different organizations to help out whenever you can. Many organizations even run regular CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives that you can participate in.
-
Write Letters Or Messages Of Gratitude
This may sound cheesy at first, but writing messages or letters to express your gratitude is something personal and intimate. People don’t expect to receive words that are meant solely for them. It’s a beautiful feeling and you can make someone really happy. You can write how much you appreciate their presence in your life or acknowledge something they did for you. A letter is something tangible; someone can keep it for a long time. Adding presents—something that’s specifically meant for that person—is also a nice touch.
-
Do Something Unexpected For Someone
Expressing gratitude is not the same as returning a favor. You can do something for your friend, family or colleague without any special reason. Unexpected acts of gratitude will convey your feelings, give people joy and show your thoughtfulness. It’s important to build relationships based on mutual respect and trust. This is possible when you acknowledge people every day and not just on special occasions.
Conclusion
Gratitude is a quality that you can incorporate into everyday life. Not only does it build constructive, lasting and strong relationships but also makes you happier and contributes to your well-being. Your beliefs and values are reflected in the way you treat others. With Harappa Education’s Discovering Purpose course, you can learn to live more meaningfully. Its core concepts and frameworks will teach you how to be your best self, identify your purpose and work on yourself to bond with your friends, family and colleagues.
Explore topics such as What is Gratitude, How to Practice Gratitude, Humility & How to be Humble from our Harappa Diaries section and lead on a path of self-development.
