This happened a few years ago (ps. many years actually, but can’t risk revealing my age you see!), during my final year at medical college. On a rainy night, I and my friend were looking for a ride to get back to hostel after duty. We had missed our bus and were getting a bit anxious. One auto rickshaw driver stopped right in front of us and agreed to drop us. If you’ve ever lived in Bengaluru, you will know this is nothing short of a miracle.

Anyways, once we reached back safely and paid him the fare, he gently refused it saying that we had treated his dad at hospital sometime back and he wanted to thank us in some way. He drove away without telling us his name or waiting for our response. That event really left us amazed. We both couldn’t recollect that patient and neither were we treating doctors at that time. This stranger surprised us with an act of kindness and truly left us wondering about how we had touched their lives.

That one thank you transformed the way I perceived my interactions with others in my profession and in life in general.

It made me wonder; we all say numerous thank yous all the time. Who doesn’t like to be thanked?! But we never realize its true potential. Because, this magical phrase doesn’t just transform the person who receives it, but has a greater impact on the one who said it himself.

So many studies have been done in the past decade on the effects of gratitude. And all these studies suggest that people who are grateful live a more healthy and happy life.

When we are thankful, our thoughts are focused on what we have, rather than what we lack. In doing so, we tend to acknowledge and appreciate all the positive aspects of our lives, people around us, our career, our families and friends. In turn, it has a positive snowball effect, wherein people reciprocate to us in the same manner.

In this process, we gain self-esteem, confidence, positive mindset and of course, good health and loads of happiness.

SO, if I could write only one prescription for good health, it would be practicing gratitude. This magic will not happen overnight. You don’t say one thank you and expect a 400W lamp to light up around you. It takes practice and consistent effort on building the gratitude muscle.

One random act of kindness, one thank you letter to someone you love, maybe a gratitude journal to note down all the things you are thankful for... whatever works for you.

With all the turbulent times we have gone through, I guess there is no better time to be thankful than NOW.

I am grateful for this blessing of Life. I started my journey on this path; you too can start your own grateful journey and see where it takes you.

If you are at this line, I would like to thank you for your time and thought in reading my article. Hope this magic will find its way into your life in some way. Stay blessed.

Dr. Soumya Ramanna Shetty - I am an ENT surgeon working at Badr Al Samaa Medical centre, Farwaniya, Kuwait. Music, art and books are the elixir of my life. When I am not busy being a doctor and a mom, you can find me dreaming and travelling (of course, travelling in my dreams the last couple years!!).