Gratitude is Big

Over the years, I've heard a great deal about gratitude practices and the value they bring, but they always seemed fairly meaningless to me. Yet, this week, in conversation with my friend Tommy, a Vietnamese-American teacher living in Hanoi, it finally clicked for me. Where we choose to place our attention deeply affects our experience, motivation, and overall happiness.

The scarcity mindset focuses on what's missing, and there will always be things missing. There will always be more to gain. And it's okay to take time to think about progress and where we can gain. It's fun to climb the mountain and make progress on the path; it's valuable, strenuous, and it brings growth. It's also immensely valuable to take time and enjoy the view. It's valuable to enjoy what we have and to think about all the good things in our lives. I think that's where gratitude springs from, simply thinking of all the good that exists. Shifting perspective to bring into focus what we have, rather than solely what we're lacking, might seem small, but it actually changes the quality of our minds.

Try taking some time regularly, or when you need, and think of all the good things in your life. The parts of your life you appreciate, the people in your life you appreciate, the things about yourself you appreciate. I've heard that our evolutionary mind tends to focus on problems because that's been essential to survival. I don't know. For whatever reason, gratitude and appreciation for what we have doesn't seem to come so naturally for us, so I think it's worth training our mind in that way.

With love,

Naser