'Live life with gratitude' - #Youth4Good, article 15 by Kajani Sri

“We shall never know all the good a simple smile will do" - Mother Theresa.

In my childhood/teenage years I faced a lot of challenges trying to figure myself out, I wanted to fit in and be like everyone and did things not because I wanted to but rather because it was cool. Deep down I knew it was not who I was. When I tried to share my thoughts, I’d get told by close family and friends that I talked like a “crazy old lady.” When something was not right I’d advise whoever, regardless of age, to have a positive outlook on things and to train their minds to see at least one good outcome in every situation. The usual response I’d get was 'what does she know about life to give me advice, she hasn’t lived'.

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter”- Mark Twain.

In my school years, I was not one to willingly pick up a book and read unless I had to. The idea of reading was not my thing until I was introduced to non-fiction self-help books. I read about how the mind works and how people have varying thoughts and beliefs. This gave me some satisfaction in how I saw things. I now regularly read non-fiction books from autobiographies to biographies and motivation.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne changed my life around in my late teens.  I was first introduced to the Secret when I was 17, it taught me to visualize, to believe and most importantly to be grateful. Like most Asian students, I did the sciences and math in high school and ended up doing a science degree in university. However, from a very young age I had been visualizing myself in corperate wear doing big business presentations and solving problems on a computer where there were no lab coats or safety glasses. I didn’t know how I was going to get there from a science degree but I knew that is exactly what I wanted.

In my second year of university I was in need of an extra stage 2 paper which was not chemistry or biology. My friend Paul suggested “KJ why don’t you try Stats201, it’s a great paper and I think you’d enjoy it." I thought to myself 'Stats? How boring.' I attended the first lecture and loved it so much I eventually did the stage 3 paper in summer school and then added Stats to my degree for a double major. My dream to be in the corperate world was possible through stats. It was the point when I first knew how truly believing in what you want and visualizing it will bring it is to you in unexpected ways. 

I carried on to do Stats in Post Grad. One by one everyone in my year found their dream job and I didn’t. My dream job was never advertised.

What was my dream job?  I had visualized myself to be like Carina Zhao the lady on the poster in our Stats lounge, a Risk Analyst from ASB who had graduated from Stats 5 or so years prior to me. I’d see Carina’s poster everyday walking to and from classes and that is who I envisioned to be. I didn’t know how I’d get there.  I avoided graduate programs as you work in different areas of the business for two years and at the end you may not even land the job you want. For me this was a role in Risk.

Around the same time in 2013, I was going through a few downfalls, feeling negative and needing a lift. I was not comfortable talking to anyone about it so, as always, I resorted to reading. I picked up Rhonda Byrne’s second book “The Power”. This book changed my life around from having even little negative thoughts and disbeliefs to having endless gratitude and giving love to everything in life.  "The more love you give in your day-to-day life, the greater the magnetic power of love you have in the field around you, and everything you want will fall at your feet."- Rhonda Byrne

I started practicing gratitude every day and gave unconditional love to everyone and everything. Even though I was going through a few downfalls, through love and gratitude alone I came out of it better than ever.

Soon I got a job at GE. It wasn’t my ideal job but I still gave it so much love and gratitude as I told myself it was getting me ready for my dream job. I worked hard and excelled at my job with the vision of getting into risk and being Carina. A few months into my role, Jarrod a Senior Risk Manager at GE approached me to apply for a role opening in a new team which he believed I would be suitable for. I was in complete awe! I applied and what was even more amazing was when I entered my interview the lady sitting across from me was Carina Zhao.

Carina had moved to GE from ASB two weeks prior to the interview to form the new Risk team. I was almost speechless but got through the interview and a week later was offered the job. On the same day, I came home and my mum handed me a book. She asked if I had dropped it as she found it in our garden near the doorstep. As mum gave me the book, I started tearing and couldn’t be more thankful. The book was The Secret Gratitude Book by Rhonda Byrne. It was not my book and for some time we couldn’t figure out how it was in our front garden. One thing I took away from the situation was the book was a testament to how I have achieved my dreams and goals, through gratitude, love and law of attraction.

I got my dream job and had the lady I envisioned to be my manager and then I made it on a poster myself for the graduate story of the year. This was shared across the business and was given the highest end of year rating - Role Model.

This is only one story in my life but through law of attraction, gratitude and love I have been able to achieve so much. I’m writing this article because if you’re reading this I can put my hand on my heart and say you can achieve anything you want in life too. You must believe it with all your heart and give love to it. Whatever is the higher force above us will make changes to the circumstances to make sure you get what you want.

I am now working on a tool for school students, where it will help them envision and set big amazing goals.  

Now that I have shared my story I’d like to help you create your story and for that I’ll share what’s helped me with my dreams and goals.

“Being happy isn’t having everything in your life be perfect. Maybe it is about stringing together all the little things”- Ann Brashares.

The most important thing I do first thing and last thing every day is practice gratitude. Every morning I wake up and count all my blessings and am thankful for a great day ahead. Every night before I head to bed I go through my day and express gratitude for the best thing that happened that day even if it’s as small as making it to my meeting on time or having the best cup of coffee. I sleep with a grateful heart and wake up on a grateful heart. 

Visualise!! I can’t stress how important it is to visualize what you want, create vision boards to help you with the process. Visualisation is simply powerfully focused thoughts in pictures, and it causes equally powerful feelings. The law of attraction will take hold of that powerful signal and return those pictures back to you, just as you saw them in your mind.

Make it a goal to see the best in everyone and everything and the best will come back to you. Be an incurable optimist, it enables us to remain hopeful and future focused. Attitude is everything in life and in business. Those swimming in a glass half empty are more likely to drown then those swimming in a glass half full.

Remember to love as much as possible every day. If you can just love and adore everything you possibly can today, look for and feel things you love and turn away from the things you don’t love, your tomorrows will overflow with the untold happiness of everything you want and love.

“Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness”- Dean of Harvard Medical School.

Kajani lives in Auckland, NZ & lives life with gratitude and optimism. She is keen to help other young people see and set big goals.

?#youth4good - our purpose is to give amazing young people the opportunity to share their passions, thoughts, ideas and stories - to inspire, inform, provoke thought and educate through both words and deeds.