Why Being Grateful Can Take You A Long Way

“Be Grateful”, it’s something we hear all the time, from our parents, teachers, and friends but it’s also something we take for granted.

Let me share a personal experience with all of you.

The first two years of starting this journey have been a living hell for me. I’ve left my full-time job and jumped into entrepreneurship without knowing what to expect. I did not get paid, did not live a healthy lifestyle, constantly dealing with sleep deprivation and friends and family were constantly breathing up my neck. It was horrible.

However, what made me persevere is that I was still grateful. I was grateful for what I have, I was grateful for every little step I was taking, I was grateful for the flexibility of time that this journey allows me to have and I’m grateful for the people that love and support me. I can’t emphasize how important being grateful is and it can definitely help you in the long run.

At the start, I was making barely 100-200 USD per month for my first few years. However, I still had people constantly giving me support and I’m very grateful for that. My parents also allowed me to use an empty storeroom for my business to start off with. Not only that, but they also provided me an old car that doesn’t cost much and also provided me shelter. Because at the end of the day, when you’re complaining and being unhappy about everything, you’re probably not going to go very far. Learn to adapt and work with what you have. Improvise; constantly keep that positive state of mind in order to grow and succeed. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, chances are when you actually achieve more, you’re still not going to be happy.

Be grateful but remain hungry. You would definitely want to achieve more right?

Maintaining a positive and calm mind during hard times helps in growing yourself. Personally, during hard times and when I am feeling down, I will state out the 10 things in life that I am grateful for and it can be anything that makes you happy. For example, the number one thing I’m most grateful of is my girlfriend as she has been with me through thick and thin over the first two years of starting out this journey as well as my parents who have been a great support on my well being when I have struggled.

I’m also grateful to my team members who helped me take this business to another level. Be grateful for simple things in life such as food provided on the table, your health, your friends and family, as well as your partners and team members. By constantly having this thought will make you a better person in general and a more driven person when it comes to your business.

Starting the entrepreneur life is never going to be easy unless you have a billion dollar trust fund supporting you. There will be ups and downs, times of struggle and regrets, but be grateful to those who are standing by supporting you no matter if the effort is little or big. Other than just listing down the 10 things you are grateful for, one thing I do is to go through some breathing exercises to calm me down. My mind is always running all over the place and is constantly filled with thoughts, so having these simple exercises where you can take a step back, shut the world, and clear your mind even for just 5 minutes really helps you to calm down as well as helping you to stay focused.

There is this scientific study I have read in the past mentioning humans have a one in 7 trillion chance of being born compared to a rat, bird, or anything else. Be grateful you are alive today, living well and healthy. Be grateful over the simple things in life as there are many who are struggling with lives due to sickness, war, poverty, etc.

Positivity and gratefulness will not only have a lasting effect on your business but also to you as a person and the people around you.

“Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you’re going to live your life”. – Joel Osteen