Japanese best-selling author Ken Honda, who is also called “Zen Millionaire,” talks about the importance of “gratitude.” I’ve been following him for a while and recently joined in his online community.
Ken gave us a challenge called “Say Arigato 100 times every day” in our community. “Arigato” is a Japanese word for “Thank you.” I told my children about this challenge and they were excited to take on this challenge.
It’s been a couple of months since we took this challenge and I’m surprised to see the change in our life! During breakfast, my kids and I come up with a lot of things we are grateful for. When we start the day with “Arigato,” the whole day seems to flow well, and we go to bed by saying “Arigato” to our beds, pillows and blankets. A very peaceful way to fall sleep.
It’s not an easy time for a lot of people at the moment. We haven’t seen our family in Japan for the past two years due to the COVID restrictions. But rather than worrying about what we can’t control, we can focus on what we can control. I can choose to stay grateful for what I have in my life. When I’m in the state of gratitude, the world is full of magic.
This is a cartoon of our first day of the “Say Arigato 100 times every day” challenge.
Noriko, Noriko Art
