I was always spiritual, even as a child. I was taught to pray

Hear the words of Shilpa Shetty, spoken with humility yet filled with power: “I was always spiritual, even as a child. I was taught to pray, show gratitude. We had an attitude of gratitude. Even if life was ugly, bad or sad—we prayed.” In her confession lies the wisdom of ages, the eternal truth that no matter how dark the path, the soul that turns toward the divine, the heart that gives thanks, will endure.

From the dawn of time, the ancients knew that the act of prayer is not only a call to the heavens, but also a medicine for the spirit. It does not erase sorrow, nor does it erase suffering, but it steadies the heart to endure them. Shilpa speaks of being taught from childhood to look upward when the world pressed downward. In this way, the seeds of resilience were planted early, so that when storms came, the roots of her soul would not be shaken.

The practice of gratitude is no small thing. The Stoics of Rome, like Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, wrote that one must be thankful even for adversity, for it strengthens the soul. Likewise, in the East, sages taught that a grateful heart transforms suffering into wisdom. Shilpa echoes this timeless truth: even when life was ugly, bad, or sad, she and her family chose not bitterness, but thanks. For in the act of gratitude, the soul finds light even in the shadow of despair.

History offers us powerful testimony. Consider the tale of Viktor Frankl, who survived the horrors of the concentration camps during the Second World War. Surrounded by despair, stripped of everything, he still chose to find meaning in suffering. He gave thanks for the smallest mercies, a piece of bread, a kind word, a glimpse of the sky. It was this inner strength—this “attitude of gratitude”—that kept him alive when others perished. His story stands as proof that gratitude and prayer are not empty rituals, but pillars that uphold the human spirit.

The child who learns to pray in sorrow is armed for life. For when joy comes, prayer deepens it; when sorrow comes, prayer transforms it. To pray when life is bad or sad is to declare that despair will not have the final word. It is to affirm that even in chaos, meaning can be found, and that even in loss, the heart can remain whole. This is the heroic teaching of Shilpa’s words: prayer and gratitude are not luxuries of the fortunate, but lifelines for the struggling.

The lesson for us is this: cultivate gratitude as a habit, not as an afterthought. Do not wait for perfection to give thanks, for perfection never comes. Give thanks in sorrow, give thanks in hardship, give thanks even when the world appears dark. And let prayer be your anchor—whether you pray to God, to the universe, or simply to the depths of your own soul. For in prayer lies strength, in gratitude lies vision, and together they form the shield that allows one to walk through life without being consumed by bitterness.

Practical action follows: each day, speak words of thanks aloud. Begin with the smallest things—a breath, a meal, the presence of a friend. When hardship strikes, turn not to despair but to prayer, even if the words are simple, even if they are broken. For gratitude and prayer transform not the outer world at once, but the inner world immediately. And when the heart is steady, the storms of life cannot destroy it.

Thus, Shilpa Shetty’s teaching is both personal and eternal: even as a child, she learned the power of prayer and gratitude, and this shield of spirit carried her through the ugly, the bad, and the sad. Let us take her words as counsel for our own lives: to meet suffering not with despair, but with thanks; to face hardship not with surrender, but with prayer. For in this way, we rise above sorrow, and life, no matter how broken, becomes sacred.