The Way of the Monk: The four steps to peace, purpose and lasting happiness

by Gaur Gopal Das

Exercise Reflect on the last twenty-four hours and identify three to five people or situations that you are grateful for. The more descriptive you are, the easier it will be to excavate the emotion of gratitude from within you. The daily description should consist of three to five people or things you are grateful for, and once every week, it should contain three to five action points to thank the people you are grateful for. You can be grateful for anything—something as simple as someone smiling at you, giving you a seat on the train, or a co-worker buying you lunch. We cannot repay every action of kindness towards us, but we can start with the people closest to us. Pick one of your weekly gratitude action points and act on it. Did you thank your partner for cooking your dinner? Did you thank your mother for washing your clothes? Did you thank your partner for paying the bills? And importantly, what actions you will take to thank them. Write it down and feel the happiness you felt when the good was done unto you.