I Believe in Gratitude
I believe that gratitude is the root cause of happiness. I believe that nothing can make you happy and therefore nobody is able to make you happy. Even the greatest of life’s pleasures will not bring us happiness unless they are received with a spirit of gratitude. They are quickly turned into disappointment when they don’t meet our exact expectations or timing. All of us have come face to face with this choice when we have been given a gift that is just what we wanted, almost. When received with gratitude, the experiences of life leave a happiness that endures. Too many of us are left longing and pining for the next emotional highlight to come our way with nothing to fill the empty voids in between.
Gratitude is a conscious choice that we make, and it comes with a powerful influence and effect on our emotional well-being. Like all effective medicines its long term effects wear off with time and needs to be renewed frequently. Gratitude needs to be an enduring and continuous part of our daily routines and mindset. When gratitude is neglected, its effects will diminish, and the joy and happiness in our life will seep out, and boredom and depression will leak in to take its place. We must cultivate the attitude of gratitude in our lives and it will serve to regulate our emotional wellbeing as well as any of the body’s numerous hormones or any miracle drug.
I believe that boredom is the prevailing symptom of ingratitude that plagues our generation. The tremendous abundance of our day has not brought greater happiness. Rather than receiving it with thanksgiving, we have chosen to raise our expectations to the point that we remain disappointed, dissatisfied, and bored. Expectations of continuous gratification are impossible to meet so too many are left moping about how tough life is or filling their lives with frivolous or even destructive activities that stimulate their senses.
The other miraculous property of gratitude is its ability to convert life’s sorrows and trials into experiences that bring about growth, faith, and hope. Gratitude focuses our attention on that which is right and good in our lives and diverts our attention from those things that will sadden and discourage us if we make them the focal point. Gratitude enhances our vision, allowing us to see trials and sorrows as the necessary counterpoint that gives meaning to life’s joys and pleasures. How could we ever experience happiness if we have never known sorrow? What would pleasure be if there has never been deprivation? Gratitude allows us to see the silver linings in the darkest of clouds. Gratitude is what allows us to cherish precious memories in the face of overwhelming loss. Gratitude is what causes character to grow in the face of insurmountable trials. Gratitude is what allows us to see a chilly night as an opportunity to snuggle close with a loved one instead of a discomfort merely to be endured.