Is Gratitude Really That Important?

What is gratitude?

Simply put, gratitude is intentional focus on what we have.

This alone, however, isn’t enough to be able to allow gratitude to work its magic. It needs these two COUSINS along for the ride.

The first cousin focuses ALL of their thinking on the present moment. Where we are right now. That place that’s gone in an instant as seconds tick by and we move to the next one…and the next..Think for a moment about how much of headspace is taken up with a clutter of thoughts about things we wish we had…

…a sports team that won more of its games

…a different car/house/neighborhood/job/partner, etc.

…tickets to this event or that

…I wish that conversation had gone differently

And so on…! Keep in mind that this is very normal and natural ways of thinking. They also, though, may be crowding out our ability to find a true and happy life.

Gratitude’s other cousin’s name is ACCEPTANCE. Acceptance is very tricky because it requires us to let go of things we can’t change (and very often, things we don’t like). It’s that first line of what some call The Serenity Prayer:

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…”

Serenity is the art of being peaceful and calm, especially when stuff makes us really mad.

Acceptance needs Present Moment because focusing on the now allows us (with practice) to let go of (again, not necessarily a belief that “everything is OK”) by putting all other thinking in our past. Thinking only about what we can do in the present moment (the past has already happened, and we don’t know what will happen in the future) leads to a peaceful spirit. This opens the door for grateful thoughts, and a happy heart that can see past things that trouble its mind and spirit.

Just how important is GRATITUDE?

Thanks to the work of pioneering scholars like Dr. Robert Emmons (author of the book Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier) who have conducted experiments that examine the connections between gratitude and happiness, we have scientific data documenting the effects of practicing gratitude.

According to Emmons and his colleagues, people who practice grateful thinking regularly can increase their “set-point” for happiness (that was previously believed to be fixed at birth) by as much as 25%.

In addition, the study discovered that using a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks can result in better sleep and more energy.

OK, so you’re ready to start gratitude journaling, but you’re not sure how to start? Well, I have a suggestion…!

Peace, and

Happy snacking, everybody!

Charles

Head chef