3/2015
Why You Should be More GratefulDespite its many benefits, gratitude is hard to cultivate. |
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Gratitude never came easily to us , and is a diminishing virtue in modern times. In our consumerist society, we tend to focus on what we lack, or on what other people have that we do not, whereas gratitude is the feeling of appreciation for what we already have. More than that, it is the recognition that the good in our life may have come from somone we met or somone in our life, something that is outside us, and outside our control—be it other people, nature, or a higher power—and that owes little or nothing to us. Gratitude is not a technique or a stratagem, but a complex and refined moral disposition. It has poetically been defined as ‘the memory of the heart’ (Jean Massieu) and ‘the moral memory of mankind’ (Georg Simmel). Studies have linked gratitude with increased satisfaction, motivation, and energy; better sleep and health; and reduced stress and sadness. Grateful people are much more engaged with their environment, leading to greater personal growth and self-acceptance, and stronger feelings of purpose, meaning, and specialness We all should be grateful for, for gratitude itself is a virtue. 1. Your LifeNo matter how you think it is, it is a gift. So many individuals don’t get a chance to make it as far as you did. Disease, poverty, famines, and droughts claim thousands of lives each year, but you were lucky. 2. Your SituationWherever you are, if you’re reading this you are already in a better situation than the hundreds of millions of individuals who are struggling to have two square meals a day. Be grateful for your situation. "Where would you be today, if not for me:" |
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