Adopt a gratitude mindset for a more abundant life


Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Gratefulness comes from awareness of our position
  3. Gratitude is necessary for growth
  4. Gratitude serves as a bulwark against set-backs
  5. Conclusion

Introduction

In recent times, scientific studies have singled gratitude out as a key factor in the universal quest for happiness (Watkins et al., 2003). Despite the recent uptick in interest, gratitude has always played a significant role in human societies, and it’s no surprise that people from different walks of life have vouched for its importance and benefit.

Numerous scientific studies have revealed a correlation between gratitude and subjective well-being, and gratitude has been associated with greater positive emotions, better relationships, and a greater degree of resilience (Llenares et al., 2020; Watkins et al., 2003)

Though studies have only recently highlighted the numerous benefits associated with gratitude, many religious and spiritual disciplines have lauded the benefits of gratitude for centuries, if not millennia. As such, gratitude plays a central role in the Abrahamic religions, and serves as a fundamental aspect of virtually all religions on the face of the earth.

The reason for this become apparent when we define gratitude:

Gratitude is the emotion felt upon the recognition of the receipt of a benefit or advantage for which a third party is largely responsible.

In other words, we feel grateful when we receive something ‘good’ for which someone else has largely been responsible. Therefore, inherent to the feeling of gratitude is the acknowledgment that we are in a more humble position compared to to the giver of the benefit – the giver-receiver relationship is inherent to gratitude. And, since gratitude is a positive emotion, it highlights that we are accepting of our humble position within this relationship. Invariably, this correlates well with the divine-human relationship that stands as a central theme within religion.

This same acceptance of our humility places us in a great position to tackle life positively, since a sense of ungratefulness (i.e. entitlement) is likely to rouse feelings of resentment and anger.

With that being said, in this week’s post I’ll highlight the origins and the main benefits of gratitude.

Gratefulness comes from awareness of our position

As mentioned before, gratitude is the emotion we feel when we are thankful for a gift that befalls us from a source that is external from ourselves. To be thankful for a gift means that we have to be aware of this gift in the first place.

In today’s world, it’s only too easy to go about your day and feel as if you are lacking. After all, we’re constantly fed the narrative that we need to do more in our lives (the fear of missing out), or that we don’t have enough in our lives. I’ve previously covered this topic in my post about embracing minimalism and why it can help you transform your life (find it here).

Take the above points, and combine it with our concerns regarding our professional duties, social commitments as well as our personal routines, and it won’t be long before we enter into the tunnel-vision that is only all too common today. I get it, we’re all busy people trying our best to make a living and also live at the same time.

Unfortunately, the productivity-lead life that most of us live hinders us in a personal and humanitarian sense. So, it becomes only too easy to fall into a spiral of pursuing self-interests unless we take the time to become aware of the true nature of our position in life – that is, become aware of our interconnectedness with the world and with one another.

One surefire way to help us understand our place in the universe better is by venturing out into nature. Removing ourselves from our day-to-day routines will certainly help contemplation in the search for answers.

It is possible to truly appreciate our position in life if we meditate upon it and contemplate it long enough. Approaching our life from a top-down, objective view, and in the context of history and the wider world, is sure to help broaden our mind’s horizons and will allow us to better understand our relation to the world around us.

The dialectical relationship that this brings about between the subjective (our ego) and the objective (the universe) is often the subject of debate within spiritual, philosophical, and even politico-societal spheres. And for good reason.

To understand the significance of our existence in space and time opens up an immense degree of wonder – this same wonder is a good foundation to base our gratitude upon.

Gratitude is necessary for growth

A mindset that incorporates gratitude as a key characteristic makes for a great foundation for personal growth and development. As mentioned previously, the quality of gratitude has implicit traits that have to do with humility and the acceptance of the position that we find ourselves in.

An attitude such as this, devoid of cynicism, pride (smugness), and other qualities that thwart personal progress and growth, is necessary to develop and maintain a growth mindset – a mindset that hinges success on consistent practice and hard work (read more about what makes you a productive powerhouse here).

Furthermore, by approaching life with a gratitude mindset, are we able to lay aside our personal prejudices and reluctances and approach tasks with open-mindedly, which not only makes us more likely to take on a given task, role, or skill, but also in a manner that is less stressful to us and therefore less likely to impact us negatively.

In contrast, a lack of gratitude in our lives goes hand-in-hand with a smug and cynical perspective that seeks to undermine the good and the positive that may exist around us (read more about the dangers of cynicism here). Both the cynic and the prideful do not trust the good of the land, nor the people that inhabit it, and express a certain inertia against positive factors that could humble them – in other words, prove them wrong. Often, this inertia reveals itself as an inclination to mock or as a habit to trivialise great ideas.

Any of us could fall prey to cynicism and excessive pride, so we must exercise caution to prevent such instances. It’s well known that life has a knack for kicking us while we’re down, but in the ever-spirited words of Nietzsche in Thus Spoke Zarathustra:

‘’You tell me: ‘Life is hard to bear.’ But if it were otherwise, why should you have your pride in the morning and your resignation in the evening? Life is hard to bear: but do not pretend to be so tender!’’

It’s only too easy to discredit ourselves in a world where we are constantly made to feel as if we are lacking. Therefore, we must keep challenging ourselves continually to understand what we we’re made of.

Gratitude serves as a bulwark against set-backs

Life is much like a rollercoaster, and with every twist and turn do we run the risk of ascending onto a high or crashing down to a low. Thus, it’s no trivial matter to set out to build a bulwark of positivity – a buffer zone that acts to preserve our confidence and spirit. Training the mind to be rooted in positivity (through gratitude) helps us appreciate the good moments more, and helps us cope with the lows in life too.

In the same way that negative a mindset might cloud our perspective and reasoning in a way that undermines the good and slants the neutral towards the negative, a positive mindset, suffused by positive thoughts and intentions, can cultivate a healthy optimism, and develop within us an appreciation for the goo, which defends against negativity.

It is through the repeated practice of gratitude that we train the mind to focus on the good in a world where the bad is usually emphasised and blown-up. After all, our brains are wired to do this.

With enough time and practice, you will find yourself building a mental reservoir of positive thoughts and intentions that is naturally a deterrent to negative thoughts and experiences, as many of these can be disarmed and dispelled by virtue of positive reasoning.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that being grateful in life is a virtue. Even though we might find our lives affected by internal and external issues – especially in these trying financial times – there always remain positive elements in our lives on which we can focus, and base our feelings of gratitude on.

Being grateful, then, is not something that comes naturally. Rather, it is cultivated much like a skill, and requires consistent practice in order to be effectively used in daily life.

Reminding ourselves frequently that, despite our shortcomings and unfulfilled desires, we are living well, is sure to put a positive spin on things, and with enough practice, is likely to change our mindset for the better.

Through the cultivation of gratitude for what we have in life, are we better able to reap the fruits of our labour. Not to mention the additional benefits of a gratitude mindset: a positive and open-mind, a greater degree of resilience, and a more robust sense of happiness; amongst many others.

Sources:

Watkins, P.C. et al. (2003) “Gratitude and happiness: Development of a measure of gratitude, and relationships with subjective well-being,” Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 31(5), pp. 431–451. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2003.31.5.431.

Llenares, I.I. et al. (1970) Gratitude moderates the relationship between happiness and resilience, L-Università ta’ Malta. University of Malta. Centre for Resilience & Socio-Emotional Health. Available at: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/65091.





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