Somewhere within the realms of our yearnings – especially when we reach middle adulthood, which comes at a slightly different time for everyone – some of us might be led to take stock of the contributions that we have made within our circle of influence.
How we’ve interacted with family members, impacted those in our social network and uplifted the community around us, are all points worth reflecting on.
As important as the meaningful work we have accomplished is the visionary work that is yet to be completed.
After all, these make up the sum of our efforts throughout our personal and professional lives, which is why the notion of recognising these contributions ought to bring a meaningful sense of purpose and gratitude as we reach the latter part of our lives.
Life doesn’t always turn out the way we want it to
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It’s especially important to come to terms with what we have done, instead of what we had hoped to do. At times one’s life may not turn out exactly the way one would like it to. And even when it does, one may become apprehensive.
Apart from applying yourself with what time, energy and resources you have still remaining at your disposal, there is another option: Reflecting on your sense of gratitude and coming to terms with your life as it is.
In other words, accepting the opportunities you’ve been given and cultivating a gratitude for them trumps any hangovers affiliated with unfulfilled yearnings.
This allows you to achieve mastery over how you feel about expectations and life’s outcomes.
Reflect on relationships
There seems to be a critical factor that is an integral piece to all of the above – that our inner being seeks to establish important life goals through connections with the invigorating force of life.
How this plays out for most people is in the creation of meaningful relations with significant individuals and loved ones around us, as well as embracing the beauty of the natural environment.
This is backed up by science. Harvard’s famed longitudinal study Harvard study on happiness, which has observed 724 men since they were teenagers in 1938, found that the number one thing keeping people happier, healthier and living longer was positive relationships.
At times, we can become so accomplished, competent and outcome-centric that we forget to remind ourselves that the journey travelled is often taken together with others – those who braved difficulties alongside us, those whom we truly admire, without whom the path marked out as seemingly “naturally” yours would not have been explored.
It would be a shame for one to live without having cultivated a deep sense of gratitude for our loyal companions.
It would be even worse to have cultivated that gratitude, but fail to express it when the time is right – which is always.
Exploring your inner sense of gratitude
With so many thoughts bouncing around in our heads, it can be difficult to access your inner sense of gratitude, let alone decipher them.
Try this method of tapping onto your latent consciousness.
- Select one of your favourite songs.
- You can do this alone or with a companion.
- Spend three to four minutes listening to it.
- Once you’re done, spend the next five to ten minutes in reflection.
- During this time, you can either draw, write, paint, or take a photograph of something that you like.
- Simply allow yourself to express intuitively and effortlessly.
May you be surprised and delighted by the lingering thought, image or sound that comes to your attention, and what it might mean to you, as you tap into the sensation.
Try channelling this sensation into a meaningful message of gratitude toward yourself and others.
Having a sense of gratitude helps us to remain centred and appreciative of the support that we have received through the years.
It encourages us to extend our thoughts, feelings and actions of kindness beyond ourselves and to release emotions that are non-judgmental.
