Gratitude is the clearest transmission of you.
Gratitude may be the most profoundly potent emotional state within the human experience. It serves as a catalyst, evoking a positive and curious perspective, while also synchronizing the multitude of facets of our lives.
And gratitude is the greatest equalizer when pain, suffering, and overwhelm cast a long shadow in our lives.
And, remarkably, there always exists a reason for gratitude.
From substantial milestones like securing a promotion, achieving a long-held goal, nurturing relationships, to the seemingly inconsequential pleasures such as relishing a warm cup of coffee, the soothing rustle of leaves, or witnessing a captivating view.
By actively cultivating a mindset that discerns the richness of the present rather than fixating on what may be absent, we unlock pathways to experience profound joy, enduring fulfillment, and genuine happiness.
Gratitude is who you are. It’s the embodiment of where you put your focus and attention. It’s the activation of your personal values and your aspiration for how you want to be in the world. Gratitude provides perspective so that you can disregard the noise and bullshit in your world – the stuff that really doesn’t matter at the end of the day – so that you can focus on what matters.
Our experience of, and how we engage with, gratitude, shifts significantly over the course of our lives. It can be straightforward to list the generally expected points of gratitude: health, family, shelter, etc. But what about the less obvious? What about the mundane? What about the rare and unique moments?
Additionally, gratitude tends to take on three distinct energetics: a personality-infused affect that notices and responds to gratitude, a state of mood that fluctuates based on daily input and impacts, and an emotional state following a significant or specific moment (a gift, a gesture, or a powerful natural wonder).
All are valid and all shift our focus toward deeper satisfaction, peace, and ease.
Gratitude Practice
A gratitude practice to bring to your week: a list of 30 concrete and specific things you are grateful for.
Use this list to dump all of the things you are grateful for – those that recurring, that happened once, or that you are creating in the future. Make it abstract. Make it specific. Anything – just make sure it’s you. Your gratitude. Your unique perspective.
Examples:
- I’m grateful for the moment of pause when I drink coffee in the morning before anyone else wakes, the house is still, and the day has no demands on me.
- I’m grateful for the opportunity to read my son to sleep – these days will not last forever, and while I may be tired and things need tending to, these moments will not always be available.
- I’m grateful for my body – while I have aches and pains and challenges, I can move through the world and do amazing things with it.
Share your gratitude with another: read your list aloud at the Thanksgiving dinner table, share directly privately with another, create a moment that honors another, or an anonymous gift or share.
