We've all heard that gratitude changes the brain. (And for those of you who haven't heard, it DOES!) A simple act of gratitude literally changing the brain came as a surprise to most of us when we first heard of it, following which we all have begun to embrace the power of gratitude in our lives by learning to say more 'thank you's.

I had originally read somewhere, that if you maintain this 'Happiness container', where you drop three chits containing reasons that made you happy today, it would make an immense difference in your life on days when you probably didn't feel all too great. The trick was to randomly pick up a few chits on a day you felt blah, and this would be EXACTLY like the random song that plays on radio when you switch it on- you have no idea what you're going to find! That makes it all the more fun, and it is just a brilliant concept.

I propose a way to take this concept further. We all work in communities, at least most of us do. The idea is to keep this 'Crystal Bowl of gratitude' at your workplace, and at home. If you have a workplace where you just work alone, keeping one at home will suffice. But you won't be filling this one up with what you are thankful for. Instead, it will be filled with small chits given by OTHERS- your friends, your colleagues, your parents, siblings, and probably even relatives about something they are thankful towards you! And you do EXACTLY the same. Everyday, write one gratitude note to somebody you truly feel thankful towards, and drop it off in their bowl, or hand it over to them if they're a friend. People with solitary work can hence receive these notes from friends and fans, from family and others, and add it into their bowl of gratitude back at home.

You can introduce this habit in your homes and workplaces, with friends and even to an extent with strangers. The next time a stranger helps you, say by letting you go first in a queue, a simple note saying 'THANK YOU!' will just brighten up their day as well. A note thanking the wonderful service of a waiter could JUST be the thing they needed on a day they've served customers with crappy moods all day. A note thanking a doctor for curing you of things you didn't even know existed will make them feel their profession that consumes their life is after all worth it. A thank you note to your dog of course will be useless, so buy him food that he loves best, or simply spend more time with him! A note telling your friend just how happy you are for her/him being around might just probably all she/he needs to hear. A thank you note to your better half might well, spice up your day! These notes will probably just be fun while they're all happy, but on a day when their health goes down, or on a day when lady luck didn't favor them, these simple notes of the yesteryears can bring smiles that will light up their day (apart from your presence with their favorite bottle of wine!) And daily surprise notes from friends or coworkers or even a family member might become something you'd secretly begin to wish for everyday!
P.S: A crystal bowl I said, simply because I am bowled over by crystals. It is of course subjective, so keep 'em in whatever container you like!