Be Thankful, Be Happy

REMEMBER the story of the guy who groans and moans that he has no shoes until he sees another guy hopping around happily with only one leg? The story says he stops whining immediately and becomes a happy man ever after, realizing the fact that he is still blessed with two strong legs.

Life may not be as simple as how the story goes, knowing the nature of man, his greed, his jealousy and his endless desires.

But after crawling on this lonely planet for decades and having done my fair share of sulking, I think I’ve gained a little wisdom that I can share.

I have come to the simple conclusion that the key to happiness is gratitude, not how big your house is, how powerful your car or how fat your bank account.

These material blessings are important in life and they give us a certain amount of satisfaction but not lasting happiness. Well, both are good feelings but are quite different.

I do observe that a happy person is not only contented, but more importantly, also grateful.

Have you noticed that those who give thanks are happy people because to say those two magic words sincerely, you must first recognize that you are blessed with something before you can express your gratitude. You can’t say “Thank You” when you are grouchy or full of bitterness – unless you are being sarcastic.

Have you looked around and noticed that no matter how miserable you are, there is always someone worse off than you?

So, by being grateful for what you are, you stop wallowing in self pity. You simply pick up the pieces and move on in life.

One of my colleagues is fond of telling this story about two mothers who went up a mountain to seek advice from a wise old man on what they should do about their sons.

The first woman asked the old man: “My son is not smart in his studies. What shall I do?”

The old man replied: “Kwai tou ho loh!”

The second woman complained: “My son is not only lazy; he is also naughty. What shall I do?”

The old man replied: “Wu tou ho loh!”

Those short pieces of advice, which I quote in Hokkien to retain their flavour, simply mean that if your darling son does not score straight A’s in his SPM, be grateful that he is well behaved, and if he is naughty, be grateful that you do have a son!

The old man is not suggesting that henceforth, you should give up good parenting.What he means is that the mothers should stop complaining but should go on to raise the kids to the best of their ability.

There are people, especially Westerners, who thank you almost automatically for anything you do for them and now I suspect they know something which we don’t or which we know but fail to practise.

They say “thank you” to the bus driver, cashier, waitress, hawker, barber or anyone else whom they deal with at the end of every transaction even though they pay for their services.

They also thank the stranger in front who keeps the swing door open for them, the guy who holds the lift to wait for them or the passer-by who points out the direction to the Petronas Twin Towers.

At the risk of being preachy, I suggest we make liberal use of the two little words. Say “thank you” with a smile and it’ll make at least two persons happy. And one of them is you!