Grateful Reasoning
Gratitude! We’re all often told to be grateful for what we have. Success gurus will tell us that we must be grateful for what we currently have before we can have what we want. Religions tell us that being grateful for what we have is essential to being spiritual and furthermore we should be grateful for all that we have and remember that many in this world have much less and in some cases little at all. All of these things are true, and yet none of them delve into one of the biggest reasons for Gratitude and why it is important to be grateful for what you have.
The fact of the matter is that regardless of what “it” is; whether you’re grateful for your health, your family, your friends, your job, your house, your car, your country, whatever it is you’re grateful for it is less about assaying guilt over those who have less, or appreciating what you have so you can have more as it is about living. Simply put, having an ‘attitude of gratitude’ is important because it speaks directly to enjoying your life. Happiness. It’s what we all really want, and being grateful for what you have in your life is one sure ingredient to the recipe of happiness. Think of it this way. Having goals is wonderful and we should all be striving for something; but the goal cannot be our measure of happiness. Think about it, when you get something new, a toy, a car, a gift, whatever, it’s wonderful for a short period of time but immediately we end up wanting the next ‘thing’. The same is true of our lives. If all we do is pursue the goals we set and hope that they will make us happy we will forever be searching for happiness and never finding it.
It’s true what they say, it’s the Journey not the destination that matters. And so we come back to being grateful. Be grateful for what you have now. Enjoy it, revel in it, be excited by it. Don’t take anything for granted. You may or may not get the next ‘thing’, but that shouldn’t matter. Be happy now. Be grateful for all the things and people and experiences you have in your life Today! Enjoy the ride. Be excited by the Journey of your life and where it’s taking you today. Tomorrow will come and bring with it a new adventure, but today is what’s important. So don’t be grateful because you’re “supposed to be”. Don’t be grateful because you feel guilty about people who have less. Don’t be grateful because you’re hoping it will bring you more of whatever it is you want. Be grateful because at one point in your life all of THIS was a goal of yours. Be grateful because you’re here. Be grateful because your life has brought you so much and it’s all around you. Oh, and by the way, being grateful does have side effects. They usually result in positive things happening for you and those around you. So be grateful for this part of your Journey and then stand back and watch as your incredible adventure in life unfolds.
Photo credit: A. Pagliaricci ? / Foter / CC BY