Having lived in an oil-rich country my entire life, the idea of poverty was a little vague in my mind. All I knew was that poor people don’t have clean water to drink and clean food to eat. The word poor was somehow linked to images of the poor shown in the media, somewhere in the outskirts of Sudan or Darfur.
Recently, I relocated and started working for an NGO in another country. There, I had the chance to visit one of the least fortunate places in my city. It was a relatively hot sweaty summer day. I could feel the heat of the scorching sun roasting my veins. As we traveled forth to our destination, the images that passed our eyes were hard to believe.
The slum was located about two kilometers away from the seashore which was a common fishing spot. The smell there was unbearable and enough to make you pass out. It was strongly similar to a pile of socks worn for years without having ever seen a washing machine. I saw a house built with pieces of torn clothes and wooden sticks which were used for pillars, and animal skin was placed where a door was supposed to be. It was equal to a 10 into 10 room. Mind you, there was no such thing as electricity there.
Within this slum, I met a humble 21 year old Harvard undergrad student who was back home for vacation. She was studying business administration and designing a micro lending project to help her community. She told me how her mother had passed away when she was just a six year old and how she helped her father raise four of her younger siblings. She became the mom they never had. She would go to school in the morning and work at the local factory in the evening. At night, she would teach her siblings and cook for the next day. Her diligence and constant earnest efforts were indeed inspiring!
Another gem of a student I met was a high school graduate who was being interviewed for enrolling in the college. He told me his entire family had forsaken him because he had decided not to join a factory like his older brothers and wanted to continue his education. However, that didn’t stop him from being fiercely determined to achieve his dream; the dream of working alongside NASA to discover extraterrestrial life! One look at him would suggest that he literally had no form of financial, emotional, or social support. However, what he did have was will power so strong it was dripping from his eyes!
If there was anything I learnt that day from these two, it was the following:
1. Let’s stop the blame game!
It is amazing how we blame the entire planet for our troubles. Believe me, you aren’t alone. I do it too. Almost all the time. We blame the country, government, people, relatives, mother in law, the janitor, our pet fish, everyone except our own selves. May be it is time we get our priorities straight and start evaluating ourselves. I believe there is nothing on this planet that can get in the way of a determined mind or a passionate soul.
2. Let’s push negativity outa the window!
For every single negative thought that sparks in your head, replace it with two positive ones. Control your thoughts. Wake up every morning and tell yourself life is awesome! Give yourself a pep talk. Not only will your productivity levels shoot up, your outlook and perception about life will also change. This will not only affect your life, but also of people around you.
3. Let’s be grateful!
Together, let’s make a promise to ourselves to be more grateful. Compare your current situation to the one mentioned above. If you have clean water, food and a roof over you, you are good my friend. Gratefulness is a characteristic which is believed to initiate emotions in our body which not only make us happy, but also bring satisfaction and mental peace. Be a little more grateful each day. Sit and list down the things you are grateful for each morning.
4. Let’s make it happen folks!
If we take a deeper look at life, we can easily know that we are really not in control of much around us. You didn’t get to choose your parents, your siblings or the house you were born in. However, God has put you there for a special reason and that is for you to explore and find out. All the circumstances we blame, are actually catalysts in taking us to the next level. Channel them the right way and you’ll see your life blossom and bloom.
I am a pesky complainer. However, after I came back from my visit, I am trying to hit a brake on it. Before I make a comment about anything now, I ask myself four essential questions:
• Is it going to help me or the ones around me in any way?
• Will it make me feel satisfied or happy?
• Is it even really that big of a problem that I need to waste my precious time ranting about it?
• How can I make this situation work in my favor instead of complaining?
If you have an interesting story to share about gratitude or things you are thankful for, let us know in the comments section below.
