Every night before she goes to sleep, my wife thanks G-d for five things from that day. While I don’t do the same, at least I was smart enough to marry someone who does. On a good day, I’m one of the five.
One of the Hebrew names for the Jewish people is Yehudim, a derivative of Yehuda. The word Yehuda means to thank. Being thankful is a fundamental principle in leading a Jewish life.
To be thankful is to be humble. To be thankful is having the security to acknowledge that who we are or what we have is greater than our own efforts. This is why there is no truth to a self-made man. No one is self-made. We don’t live in a vacuum. There are those who raised, those influenced use and those who invested in us. Most significantly, without being endowed with all of our individual unique talents, we wouldn’t be our unique selves.
It is only when we are insecure that we feel the need to prove our worthiness by claiming credit for what isn’t ours. This is why arrogance is the effect of insecurity while humility is the effect of one who is secure.
There’s a very simple way for us to become more secure, humble and thankful people. Begin pushing yourself to express genuine thanks when someone is there for you. The more you express your thanks, the more you will realize how people value you more to acknowledging them. Most importantly, continuously thank G-d for all He gives, beginning with your previous breath of life.
I understand necessity and importance to be thankful to the people who give me their warm and take care of me but not always remember to express my feeling. I understand as well that my thankfulness to God I need to develop continuously.
Yes. The more thankful we feel and the more we realize how much the other does for us the less forgetful we are about thanking them. Developing a habit by thanking one person every day and thanking G-d for one thing every night is a good way of developing a thankful mindset. Much success!
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