Aarushi's Story - Life is Magical
I take a deep breath, sitting in my home office, and go back in my memory. My story with gratitude and the app Gratitude makes me marvel at how magical certain experiences can be in life. So magical that you couldn’t have dared to dream them to be possible on your own.
I was 14 when I read ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne. It was a gift from my English teacher, and I read it in one go. Later on, we had several discussions in class about the claims made in the book, and if it was foolish to believe in it.
I wanted to believe in it. I wanted to have the power to make my life how I wished it to be and have faith in “good things come to those who wait and work for them.”
Intrigue pushed me to look for more. I read ‘The Magic’ and ‘The Power’ by the same author, and these books settled in my mind.
I was engaged by how simple it was but how pure your heart had to be to reap the benefits of practicing gratitude and giving love. I was introduced to the impact of these mindset switches but they hadn’t illuminated my room yet.
Things changed in my life soon. I faced many questions about myself, my health, and my worth. I spent a couple of years doubting myself, being hopeless, running in endless spirals of guilt and fear.
Until I didn’t want to stay in that place anymore. I had had enough with complaining and whining and blaming myself. I wanted to improve. I started watching videos from Sadhguru and BK Shivani, and I noticed a pattern in their message.
I noticed that it is how we perceive situations and not the situations themselves that impact us. And I found that it is possible to find something sweet and wonderful, no matter how insignificant, in every challenge.
I remembered ‘The Magic’ then, and I decided to start gratitude journaling. I downloaded the Gratitude app, and there began a series of changes that would shape my life into what it is today.
I didn’t become happier all of a sudden. I still followed negative thought patterns and self-talk, but I was slowly noticing the moments where I felt joyful because of writing in my journal.
Soon, I had written enough to scroll through, and one day I visited the app after many days of not writing to see all that I had written before. A river ran through me.
I suddenly realized the waste that I had let happen all those days when I didn’t feel grateful for the things I had and resorted to demanding more by complaining. I closed my fist and took the decision to be committed to gratitude.
The thing is, it’s not the app that is changing your life but the platform that it provides you and the decisions that you make for yourself. You start to look at situations more positively and gratefully and choose to react better, healthier.
Soon, I figured out what I wanted to do in my life and the career path I would walk on. Keep in mind, I still was facing challenges, harder than ever before, but this time I had faith in myself, and I really wanted to try my best.
I wanted to see if gratitude could be the magic that I wished it to be. I spent almost a year doing my design self-education, made my portfolio, and started to look for jobs in product design.
I approached a certain company that I was fond of but there was no vacancy for me there. One day, I was desperate and I decided to look at my home screen and reach out to the team behind my favorite app.
It took one look to recognize it was Gratitude, and I shot an email then and there to Pritesh Sankhe, maker of Gratitude. To my astonishment, he replied and offered a conversation. I was super excited, and I prepared a presentation on my ideas for Gratitude. A couple more calls spread across days later, I got the job! Can you believe it?!
Now I work on the app that was a fundamental tool in helping me become a happier person. If this can happen, anything can. Forevermore, I will look at this experience to believe in myself and remember that with a pure heart, good intentions, and smart decisions I can achieve my goals.
Life is magical, and gratitude is your wand to wield it.
