In homeroom, the challenge assignment for this week was to write a letter to someone who has inspired or influenced you in your life. We watched this short video that featured a few random strangers the respective people interviewed and those random strangers were asked to write a letter to someone important to them—then they had to call that person and read it to them.

Well, at the beginning of the video, they said that studies have shown that gratefulness makes a person happier. Think about that for a minute; being thankful for things besides yourself can make you happier. Modesty equals happiness. If you think about it, that makes absolute sense—thinking about the fact of how much you already have makes you think less about all the things you want and more about what’s already great in your life.

The problem is, we as humans are forever destined to want more, more. There are lots of songs about that, and they always strike something in me, because I think about this a lot. For example, my dad’s favorite song lyric is from a Pink Floyd song, and it’s: “forever incumbered by desire and ambition.” No matter how grateful you are, you will always want more, even you are holding the entire universe in your hands. That’s why it’s important to take a moment every once in a while to appreciate the little things and people in your life—even though in the end, you will still occasionally think about the things you wish you had.

I feel that even though we always ask for more, there are amazing people who work to be selfless and kind towards others. Selflessness leads to modesty, and modesty, to me, means being honest with yourself.

Modesty is one of the most important things in life. You can act proud of yourself on the outside or humorously brag, but I truly believe it’s crucial to one’s character to inwardly be humble about yourself—as well as appreciate others. Whenever I think about how grateful I am for the people, it gives me a sense of fulfillment with my life, knowing that I am lucky to have the people I love—knowing that I have found amazing people. Whenever I think about the things in the world that I am grateful for, I am reminded that there is good in humanity, in everyone.

I realize that I often focus on the negative sides of massive entities like humanity, the internet, etc.—I should tell myself to think about what there is to be thankful for. Not to the point of ignorance, but to the point of positivity. Being positive is a good thing, but as per usual, you can have too much of a good thing. My effort in being more grateful is going toward me having a more positive outlook on things, while still being aware of the problems and things I want to change.

Written and edited by Maria Horja