Striving Towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I used to think gratitude was about being thankful for what I have. Like, “I’m grateful for my house, my job, my family”—checking boxes on a list.

But I’ve realized it’s something deeper than that.

Gratitude isn’t about appreciating what you have. It’s about recognizing what you could lose.

The shift in perspective

My health? I take it for granted when I feel fine. I don’t think about it. But somewhere right now, someone is lying in a hospital bed praying for the ability to walk, to breathe without pain, to have one more normal day.

That’s what I have right now. And I’m over here complaining about being tired.

My freedom? I can walk outside whenever I want. I can choose where to go, what to say, how to spend my time. There are people in the world—right now—who would give anything for that. Who are locked up, trapped, controlled.

And I’m annoyed about traffic.

My loved ones? They’re here. Alive. A phone call away. I can hug them, talk to them, share a meal with them.

But how often do I actually stop and realize that one day, I won’t be able to? That this is temporary? That people are grieving right now for the exact presence I’m taking for granted?

Everything I take for granted, someone else is praying for

That hit me hard when I really let it sink in.

The boring Tuesday morning? Someone’s last day alive was a Tuesday.

The argument with my partner? Someone just lost theirs and would give anything for one more fight, one more chance to say sorry.

The job that frustrates me? There’s someone desperately searching, praying for any opportunity.

The body I criticize? Someone just got a diagnosis that changed everything about how they see their own.

Gratitude is just perspective properly adjusted

That’s really all it is.

It’s not about pretending everything is perfect or being annoyingly positive about things that genuinely suck.

It’s about seeing clearly.

It’s about recognizing that what feels ordinary to me is extraordinary to someone else.

It’s about understanding that everything I have—my health, my freedom, my people, my opportunities—is temporary. Fragile. Not guaranteed.

And when I remember that? When I adjust my perspective to see things as they actually are—temporary gifts rather than permanent fixtures—suddenly I notice them differently.

I appreciate them more. I hold them a little lighter. I’m more present with what’s in front of me instead of constantly looking for what’s missing.

This isn’t about guilt

I don’t think gratitude should come from guilt—like “I should be grateful because others have it worse.”

It’s simpler than that.

It’s just… awareness.

Awareness that I’m walking around with things that are precious. That won’t last forever. That someone, somewhere, would consider a miracle.

And maybe, if I remember that more often, I’ll stop sleepwalking through my own life.

Gratitude isn’t a feeling I force. It’s a lens I choose.

When I look at my life through the lens of “What do I have?”—I always want more.

When I look through the lens of “What could I lose?”—suddenly I see how much is already here.

That’s the perspective shift.

That’s gratitude.