Varun P., Incarnation Catholic School
G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E.- A Recipe for a Good and Happy Life
Life can be likened to someone trying to craft the perfect dish. What you put into it affects what you get out of it. But even that sometimes, is not enough. You can have all the right ingredients and materials, yet that “dish” doesn’t turn out like you expected. Likewise, being a teen is hard. Through all the pressures of school, sports, and social lives we sometimes lose sight of what really matters. Winston Churchill summarizes this idea perfectly. He said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." This shows that life is only fulfilled by helping others live their life to the fullest. Even if parts of life don’t work out, we must be open to being good and doing good because we want to help people. This philosophy by Dottie Yeck inspires us to have fun and be happy while helping people. Through all the hardships we face, we can use the pneumonic of G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E., to exemplify being Generous, Resilient, Appreciative, Trustworthy, Inspiring, Talented, Understanding, Dependable, and Empathetic to everyone we meet. I strive to use this as the backbone for how I should act when things don’t fall within my circle of influence. However, I can control my actions, habits, and how I communicate with others.
One of the times I faced a significant setback was when I was playing basketball. As I was running full speed down the court, I was shoved by one of my opponents from behind. I was thrown into the air and landed on my kneecap, fracturing it. Through months of recovery not being able to participate in sports and hang out with friends, I decided that I was still going to control the things I could control and to have an attitude of gratitude. I talked to people I respected, and I made new goals to help me. On the path to fulfill my goal of being positive, I got more involved in Boy Scouts, and I participated in service projects to help the community around me. These activities helped me find the silver lining in a gloomy situation and regain my self-confidence. I soon found out that I had more time to help others and my community, and that I was happy because of it. Self-confidence means trusting yourself, for better or for worse even when nobody does. It allows you to truly be yourself. This showed me that through the negativity and personal setback I faced, I chose to find something to be grateful for.
My recipe for a good and happy life contains nine key ingredients, never changing despite the seasons of life. The recipe includes a large bowl of meaningful connections, equal measures of generosity, resilience, appreciation, a cup of talents, tablespoons of inspiration and understanding, a sprinkling of dependability, and mounds of empathy. Bake over time and serve with humor and warmth.
My recipe for a good and happy life is one of G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E.
