Approximately how many people do we encounter in our lives per day? Per month? Per year? Well, I’m no statistics major, but according to the blog Golden Ripples you meet approximately 733,000 people in your lifetime. I’m not sure how accurate that statistic is, but regardless, we all encounter many people from various walks of life who tend to inspire us, support us, guide us, love us, and care for us. And how many of these people do we express our gratitude for?
My performing arts instructor and life coach once said to me, “The more you express the gratitude for the happiness you have in your life, the higher the chance of it continuing to bestowed upon you.”
Undoubtedly that is the truth. With the everyday pressures of life and expectations society has of us we tend to forget to appreciate the people in our lives that act like a candle light in the dark tunnel of overwhelming stress and everyday issues that occur in our lives. Unfortunately we neglect to recognize the people whom encourage us reach for the stars and accomplish our dreams and aspirations. We neglect to appreciate those who love us for our angels and demons. “We often take for granted the very little things that most deserve or gratitude.” -Unknown
The people you meet in your lives will be transient, no one ever stays forever, however those who leave a mark and inspire you to strive for excellence are those you must be thankful for. And no, being grateful isn’t just thinking about how fortunate you are to have such people in your life, but being grateful is expressing that gratitude to let those people know you appreciate that impact they have in your life. Because when people feel like they are making a positive difference in others lives, are wanted and loved, they tend to want to continue being that optimistic energy in your life.
So today I challenge you to express your gratitude to the individuals in your lives that love you without all the layers of paint you protect yourself with against the expectations of society, I challenge you to tell them what they mean to you and how lucky you are to have them in your life. Because who knows if they will be here tomorrow, the future isn’t permanently sketched into stone, the future is in your hands and if you wish to have the people you love apart of your lives, always acting like your guiding light, be sure to express your gratitude. It’s as easy as saying “thank you for being apart of my life.” Do you think you can do it?
Gratitude is a precious and underused gift. It is worth more than a million dollars and can be given whenever and where ever. Be sure to pass on this beautiful gift to those who inspire you to let them know what they mean to you. From experience, it is better to do it now than later, because there is always the possibility that later never comes.
Picture Sources:
http://objectivesoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/gratitude-is-the-key.png, http://www.motivatedwithcarlos.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Gratitude-Quote-Oprah-Winfrey.jpg, http://www.aconsciousbeauty.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/gratitude-thank-you-quote.jpg, http://quotes-lover.com/wp-content/uploads/Gratitude-is-the-open-door-to-abundance.jpg, http://www.virtuesforlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/gratitude-quotes.jpg
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Tracy Li: I wanted Calgary to have a platform for their youth to display their artistic talents in the community. I’ve been to several Calgary Art Walks, usually held in the fall. The Calgary Art Walk is a weeklong collective initiative amongst the primary professional exhibitions and art studios of Downtown Calgary. It’s a wonderful free event, open to the general public, which allows art-goers to check out the pieces of established local artists. Furthermore, the artists themselves are often at the exhibitions, making it a wonderful social experience. However, these exhibitions provided little exposure for emerging local artists, let alone youth artists. Therefore, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for Calgary’s artistic youth to display their art in a public setting, where they can discuss with one another about their art, and even potentially sell their art to captivated viewers. I think that the Calgary Youth Art Exhibition creates initiative and a common goal amongst youth artists. They will want to create more pieces, express themselves in an environment filled with pieces of self-expression from similar others, and acquaint with new people.
Vicky Xiao: To be honest, I don’t really remember when I started to draw. When I was around four or five years old, one of my favorite hobbies involved doodling cartoon drawings on pieces of print paper and cutting up my drawings to create makeshift puzzles. But my interest in the visual arts was probably first sparked when my parents first started bringing me to art classes. It was my first time meeting artists who were much older and more skilled than I was. That kind of exposure to, and interaction, with different and more talented artists really inspired me to work harder on my own artwork. One of my biggest reasons for spearheading this event is my hope that the CYAE can help accomplish something similar for other artists as those art classes once did for me!
