22/10/2022
A few (too many) thoughts of the day on Gratitude.
A concept i have struggled with greatly my entire life. At least in the ability to hold onto it for an extended period.
So why, even if i know it is a key to an optimal life, and I have examples of people who seem to embody gratitude is it still a struggle.
Have I gotten drastically better at it, yes, but that doesn’t negate the struggle.
I’ve realized it has more to do with the frame of which we see time. The most basic form of understanding gratitude is from the lens of the present looking back on the past. It is where you are today vs. where you were.
This creates a positive relationship between expectations and an old reality. This also shows us the importance of growth.
If we want to remain grateful, then we must continue to grow and evolve. Not produce, acquire, etc…. It could be those things, but Grow.
So if a goal is to live a life content with our past, and gratitude is the data that shows us whether or not we were successful, then a purposeful life would be filled with growth.
The next level of this progression would be to find deep levels of gratitude within the present, without the frame of the past, as well as gratitude for the future, which shows complete acceptance of the outcome.
This too will be a lifelong endeavor of growth. I hope maybe that can help someone else, as I know it will help me.