“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure.” — Jawaharlal Nehru, former Prime Minister of India

On any given day, it can be easy to get caught up in our own little world. On good days, focusing on the beauty in our nearby surroundings can uplift and inspire us. But on those inevitable rough days, it’s easy to become consumed by our struggles and forget all about the vast glories and the rich diversity of the larger world.

This Earth is profoundly dynamic and exquisitely beautiful. When times seem challenging, or you need a little break from your day-to-day, turning your attention to some of the many lovely areas around the globe with heartfelt appreciation can be a fantastic way to brighten your day exponentially.

The Benefits of Gratitude

Being thankful can come in many forms, from appreciating the simple pleasures of sun on your face at the start of a new day to the joy of a driver pausing and letting you into congested traffic when you are rushing to get to work. And all those little blessings add up, especially when we take some time each day to recognize them.

According to ongoing research from the Mayo Clinic, expressing gratitude regularly offers a whole host of benefits, including improved sleep, mood, and immunity, as well as decreased chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. If you turn that gratitude into a more regular practice, it becomes even more powerful. Some landmark studies have found that practicing gratitude on a consistent basis—15 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for at least 6 weeks—can yield all those benefits, as well as a significant boost in overall mental wellness. Impressive stuff!

With these tremendous benefits of gratitude in mind, from wherever you are right now, let’s take a journey: A virtual trip around the world can inspire you to remember just how extraordinary the planet we inhabit actually is!

A Global Journey of Thanks

As we begin our trek of gratitude, let’s take a moment to think of India, with its lush greenery and the Ayurvedic healing villages of Tamil Nadu in the south; the bustling, dynamic cities of Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai—each of which is rich with ancient temples; the abundant yoga schools and centers all throughout the country; the plentiful arati ceremonies by the Ganga River flowing through Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Delhi; and, of course, the lovely coastal regions of Kerala and Goa!

Pause to think of one thing—or more!—that you appreciate about India, whether it’s Indian fashion, Indian music, an Indian film, or something else entirely.

Beyond this marvelous region, each part of the globe is teeming with similar delights. In the United States, for example, consider the extraordinary deserts, canyons, and ancient ruins of the Southwest; the sweeping plains of the Midwest; the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains of the Southeast; the beautiful beaches along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, the Empire State Building in New York City, along with the historic national monuments of Washington, D.C.

Similarly, in Hungary, there’s the historic Buda Castle and Esztergom Basilica; the famous thermal Hévíz Lake, the beautiful Danube River, and the picturesque city of Budapest.

And zipping over to South America, we can find the mystifying temple of Machu Picchu in Peru, the dynamic city of Buenos Aires in Argentina, the majestic Amazon Rainforest, the enchanting Galápagos Islands of Ecuador, the sacred ruins on Easter Island in Chile, just to name a few of the many Earth’s countless, bountiful wonders!

Along with the tremendous diversity of natural beauty across the globe, consider also the many culinary wonders of the world, from the homemade pastas, pizzas, and gelato of Italy to the spanakopita, tzatziki, and gyros of Greece to the curries, samosas, biriyanis, naan, and laddoos of India, and so much more.

Truly, the world is teeming with an endless array of things to be in awe of! With this quick tour as inspiration, you may even want to explore further. Pick up a book or travel guide on a region you’d like to visit one day, or a favorite spot you can’t wait to return to in the future. Cue up some online videos of the places that most draw you in, visit social media channels from the regions that inspire you most, or simply take some time to reflect on and/or journal about what you’re most thankful for in our big, beautiful world.

Expressing Appreciation Daily

As you think about the wonders of the world, don’t limit yourself to natural areas or manmade structures either. Consider, too, the beauty of diversity in both plants and animals, as well as the incredible populations that inhabit each of these areas. There’s art, literature, music, and culture from every corner of the world worth digging into and exploring. Even simply looking at the languages of different regions can bring about so much we can all be thankful for. Have you ever thought about how expressing gratitude in different parts of the globe can take a wide variety of different forms. For instance, if you’re in North America, saying “thank you” is the most common way to express gratitude to someone. However, if you’re in South or Southeast Asia, gratitude is often unspoken, or might be expressed by saying “dhanyavaad.”

In China, the phrase “xiè tiān”—which means “thank sky”—is often used to express gratitude for all things in the universe…in other words, everything under the sky.

If you’re in Taiwan, you might say, instead, “kám-sim,” meaning “feel heart” to express your gratitude. This phrase acknowledges the positive ripple effects that come from any good deed, along with the benefits good deeds bring to many beyond the direct recipient.

Gratitude Unites Us All

As you reflect on these different cultural expressions of gratitude, as well as ones you’re familiar with from your family, culture, and region, take a second to consider which methods of expressing thankfulness appeal to you most—and why?

Then, if you’re so inclined, reflect or brainstorm on some new ways that you might like to express your gratitude in the future.

To further glean the life-changing benefits of gratitude closer to home, you might also consider choosing a method of keeping track of what you appreciate, from a list in an old notebook, to a jar that you can drop slips of paper containing your gratitudes into (and revisit later!), to a full-fledged gratitude journal, like the one on the Innergy app! Whether you jot down just a word or two or write a mini-novel, the key is turning your attention to what you’re appreciating that day and tapping into the abundance of gratitude’s endless beneficial effects.  

Other ways to share and express your gratitude include writing an old-fashioned thank you note or a full-fledged gratitude letter. Consider also thanking someone in person or sending them flowers as a gesture of gratitude or perhaps even preparing a surprise meal for them.

The world truly is a vast, spectacular, and unceasingly vibrant source of wonder and inspiration. Tap into this incredible entity we call home each day, and let it drive your gratitude practice regularly. Then, embrace the warmth those feelings bring. Imagining others around the world offering similar gestures of gratitude is a beautiful way to nourish a positive mindset and to feel an uplifting sense of community at the global level.

So whether you say dhanyavaad, thank you, gracias, merci, köszönöm, “thank the sky,” or something else, know that your grateful heart is one in a beautiful tapestry of millions all around the world!