The One Advantage Everyone Can Access (And Why It’s Worth It)
There is one advantage that is available to anyone, requires no investment of time or money, and can radically improve your quality of life.
Gratitude.
This is not to say that cultivating a posture of gratitude is easy. It’s not. It’s difficult. It requires discipline in our thoughts and our emotions. And yet gratitude that is anchored in healthy and secure identity is, in my experience, all up-side.
I have never in my life thought to myself, ‘You know, I think I really just should have approached that situation with a little less gratitude. I think I would have been a lot happier.’
No.
This is a lesson of which I still have to continually remind myself. When I do, these are some of the things I tell myself:
Don’t Complain About the Complexities That Come with Blessings
Often, the things that bless our lives - a new job, a new relationship, a new opportunity - come with their own set of demands on our time and energy. It’s easy to get caught up in the complexities and forget to be grateful for the blessing itself. I try to remind myself not to complain about complexities that come as a result of things I would have once hoped for.
Life Doesn’t Owe You Anything
Entitlement is a gratitude killer. And yet, it’s so easy to slip into an entitled mindset. But there’s nothing in life, whether in careers or relationships or finances or anything else, that is automatically owed to us. Anything good that comes to us is a wonderful chance to be grateful.
You’re Already Fortunate
If you’re reading this on the internet, then like me, you:
Can read.
Have access to the internet.
Have access to an internet-enabled device.
That alone puts us in a position of good fortune.
Choosing Gratitude Is Always Better
Choosing to be grateful can make us happier. It makes us more likely to be a blessing to those around us. It improves our physical and psychological health. Ultimately, it’s just a better way to live.
As we strive to cultivate lives that honour what matters most, being deliberate about nurturing a mentality of gratitude is an advantage worth pursuing.