I really got a lot from reading your essay on gratitude this morning. I have studied stoicusm a bit and believe its realistic perspective on the world, including but certainly not limited ti practicing gratitude, can help us find a better way to navigate the modern world, just as it helped ancients navigate that world. Thank you fir writing such a thoughtful, helpful piece. I will become a member in the near future.
Thank you for this excellent post. Somehow it's easier to express gratitude at Thanksgiving than at Christmas. I need to make gratitude a daily practice as you suggest.
Great post and so true in the UK's entitled 'me, me, me' culture, thank you. Reminds me of a parable about a boy who complained he had no shoes...until he saw a boy who had no legs (or words to that effect).
This perspective on gratitude is very meaningful and spot on. 🎯 And once again, the reflections at the end of the post are great. Thanks for another thought-provoking and insightful post. I imagine a lot of readers are benefiting.
Thanks for sharing. I have a daily gratitude practice. One thing that I have added is being grateful for the given moment, much like the gratefulness practice you note in your post. This is a habit you can cultivate to improve the quality of how you experience life. To learn more watch this Ted Talk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtBsl3j0YRQ Cheers.
You need not attribute gratitude to any “thing” (like deity) but to providence, to luck. An attitude of gratitude is unique to each individual’s circumstance but ought to be the general rule in society.
Thank you for this honest, simple, yet profound explanation of gratitude. I have always struggled with the concept of "feeling gratitude" in the same way as I approached positive affirmations. It felt somehow false, forced & fake as I tried to appreciate how good everything was while my silly brain was arguing the opposite point. This practice of seeing both sides of any situation in equal measure appealed to my logical, realist's mind. I shall study this article and initiate a simple practice each day until it becomes part of who I am. Hopefully, I can then inspire others simply by my attitude, without the need to "preach."
“Negative visualization” has helped me forgive. I always ask myself, “If this person passed away today, how would I feel then? Would this situation matter? I enjoyed your post. You covered everything we could be grateful for that could be easily overlooked. I started consciously practicing gratitude years ago. It’s automatic to me now. I am grateful for everything, even the challenging experiences. I am still here.
I want express my gratitude towards this post which draws my attention on privileges that I have:- Eyes, Ears, Mental stability (to comprehend this passage), on the other hand, the practice of negative visualization, what if, I don't have any of these things in my life, especially this precious gift of life.
As always I want express my gratitude to this page for shifting my focus from what I lack to what I have.
Kudos this page for changing the life of their readers.😌
This is gratitude without the syrup. Not “be thankful and shut up,” but “see clearly before your nervous system invents another emergency.” The line that matters is relationship, not circumstance. That’s where Stoicism stops being self-help and starts being corrective lenses for a modern mind trained to panic on demand.
I really got a lot from reading your essay on gratitude this morning. I have studied stoicusm a bit and believe its realistic perspective on the world, including but certainly not limited ti practicing gratitude, can help us find a better way to navigate the modern world, just as it helped ancients navigate that world. Thank you fir writing such a thoughtful, helpful piece. I will become a member in the near future.
Thank you for this excellent post. Somehow it's easier to express gratitude at Thanksgiving than at Christmas. I need to make gratitude a daily practice as you suggest.
Great post and so true in the UK's entitled 'me, me, me' culture, thank you. Reminds me of a parable about a boy who complained he had no shoes...until he saw a boy who had no legs (or words to that effect).
True of American culture, too
I hope I can remember to read this every single day. Wow!
This perspective on gratitude is very meaningful and spot on. 🎯 And once again, the reflections at the end of the post are great. Thanks for another thought-provoking and insightful post. I imagine a lot of readers are benefiting.
Be blessed.
I love how this names attention as a practice.
For me, regulation is what makes that attention sustainable instead of effortful.
These practices land very differently depending on nervous system state.
Gratitude deepens when the body feels safe enough to receive it.
Otherwise, it becomes another task to perform.
Practice changes perception.
Regulation changes what perception can hold.
Thanks for sharing. I have a daily gratitude practice. One thing that I have added is being grateful for the given moment, much like the gratefulness practice you note in your post. This is a habit you can cultivate to improve the quality of how you experience life. To learn more watch this Ted Talk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtBsl3j0YRQ Cheers.
You need not attribute gratitude to any “thing” (like deity) but to providence, to luck. An attitude of gratitude is unique to each individual’s circumstance but ought to be the general rule in society.
I wish it was innate to everyone.
So True!
Thank you for this honest, simple, yet profound explanation of gratitude. I have always struggled with the concept of "feeling gratitude" in the same way as I approached positive affirmations. It felt somehow false, forced & fake as I tried to appreciate how good everything was while my silly brain was arguing the opposite point. This practice of seeing both sides of any situation in equal measure appealed to my logical, realist's mind. I shall study this article and initiate a simple practice each day until it becomes part of who I am. Hopefully, I can then inspire others simply by my attitude, without the need to "preach."
“Negative visualization” has helped me forgive. I always ask myself, “If this person passed away today, how would I feel then? Would this situation matter? I enjoyed your post. You covered everything we could be grateful for that could be easily overlooked. I started consciously practicing gratitude years ago. It’s automatic to me now. I am grateful for everything, even the challenging experiences. I am still here.
Gratitude should be a priority practice! Thank you for eloquently articulating this….
I want express my gratitude towards this post which draws my attention on privileges that I have:- Eyes, Ears, Mental stability (to comprehend this passage), on the other hand, the practice of negative visualization, what if, I don't have any of these things in my life, especially this precious gift of life.
As always I want express my gratitude to this page for shifting my focus from what I lack to what I have.
Kudos this page for changing the life of their readers.😌
I practice gratitude regularly. It really makes for a happy satisfying life
Chaos is temporary; stability is lasting. When you accept your limits, your true capacity emerges.
This is gratitude without the syrup. Not “be thankful and shut up,” but “see clearly before your nervous system invents another emergency.” The line that matters is relationship, not circumstance. That’s where Stoicism stops being self-help and starts being corrective lenses for a modern mind trained to panic on demand.
Thanks for the reset reminder. Often necessity, rarely noticed.