Gratitude Over Grumbling: A Mindset Makeover

The best way to ignore a problem is to appreciate the good things around us—assures Mujeeb Jaihoon

During today’s trip to college, did you encounter any difficulties that annoyed you? Imagine if all of these problems were resolved—what other things might you then find annoying? Perhaps many more. From this, we can conclude that issues will always exist. Moreover, can you recall any positive aspects of your journey to college? If not, then it is equally true that we often fail to appreciate the good things around us.

Remember that a problem is only a problem if you believe it to be one. What you perceive as a problem may be seen as an opportunity by others. This is how great men and women are made. Don’t complain about the teachers, the school, or the fees for your poor performance. Don’t blame your parents for enrolling you in this college.

Remain optimistic when faced with a problem. Remember, everything that begins must come to an end—so your problem also has an end. The best way to ignore a problem is to appreciate the good things around you.
One day, a lady saint in Baghdad, who was deeply devoted to God, saw a man passing by with a bandage tied around his forehead. She inquired as to why he was wearing the bandage, and he replied that he was suffering from a headache. She then asked him his age, to which he responded that he was thirty years old. She further questioned how he had spent his life until that day, and he replied that he had always enjoyed good health.

The lady saint remarked, “For thirty years, the Lord has kept you healthy, yet you have not expressed your gratitude for this gift by displaying any outward signs of joy or thankfulness. If you had, people would have asked about the reason for your happiness—and upon knowing that it was due to God’s blessings, they would have praised Him. However, now that you have a minor headache, which is your own fault, you are wearing a bandage and portraying God as harsh for causing you to suffer. What a disgraceful act!”