“Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.” - John Henry Jowet
Gratitude matters.
A grateful heart is a content heart. A content heart is a simple heart. And a simple heart leads to a simplified life.
Gratitude opens the door to both simplicity and minimalism. Consider the fact that a person who is grateful for the things in their life will care for them more, enjoy them more and waste less energy seeking more. They will experience joy in life by finding fulfillment in the gifts they already possess rather than looking outside themselves for fulfillment. And that is the very essence of minimalism.
Yet, we live in a culture that preaches discontent. A consumer culture will always attack gratitude. If they can sow seeds of discontent in our lives, they can sell us on their new product line or latest version with new improvements. In contrast, those who can find gratitude in their current existence will be less influenced by those empty promises.
But how can we find gratitude in a world that seeks to destroy it?
- Choose gratitude today. Gratitude will never be a result of your next purchase, success, or accomplishment. It is available in your heart right now. And you will never find gratitude in life until you intentionally decide to choose it.
- Count your blessings: a new day, a warm bed, a loving spouse, a child in your life, a unique personality, or a special talent… You have wonderful things in your life already. Gratitude quickly sets in when we begin to spend a quiet moment each day remembering them. This practice alone has the potential to change your heart and life immeasurably.
- Stop focusing on what you don’t have. Too many people never realize gratitude because they spend so much mental energy focused on what they don’t have. Throw away catalogs and advertisements that inevitably promise you more fulfillment and joy in life. Those things are not sold in stores – never have been, never will be.
- Embrace humility. Humility is an essential ingredient in gratitude. A humble heart finds satisfaction in the gifts it already possesses and demands less from others and life. Remember that no matter what your accomplishments, your life contains no more inherent value than the person sitting next to you… no matter where you may be sitting.
- Open your eyes to those with less. Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. 1.1 billion people have inadequate access to clean water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. Let those facts sink in for just a moment… and slowly allow gratitude and a desire to become part of the solution to take their place.
- Find gratitude in difficulty. It is easy to be grateful when things are going well. It can be more difficult during the trials of life: death, disease, rejection, or failure. The truth is that no one is exempt from the trials of life, but good can always be found in even the worst of times. And embracing gratitude during those trials may be the one thing that gets you through them.
In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. And that gratefulness quickly leads to a satisfied, simplified life.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Since embracing gratitude, I’ve definitely felt more fulfilled and content. It makes sense as the opposite of feeling in need of something more all the time.
A friend recently recommended I read the posts on this site, and I have to say the very thought of becoming minimalist is something that is deeply pulling at my heart. Just the few posts I’ve read so far have really had my mind turning in a different direction, and I like that.
chris, enjoy the journey.
I have created a gratitude journal. I write in it every night. It helps me remember how good God has been to me. Even in the tough times, I have found that there are many, many things to be grateful for.
Gratitude plays a huge role in my marriage, even to this day, and is a natural part of our everyday lives. All the small things, so dear….
Hi,
I m grateful for what you wrote above about Gratitude. Thank you, enjoy your life.
Tobias
Lately I’ve been trying to write, at least once a week in the morning, the things I am grateful for in my life. I find that I ALWAYS feel more content with my own life after I consciously do this.
I think it’s very important to consciously seek out gratitude because our society often is shaped to remind us of what we “lack” or “don’t have.”
Thank you for this amazing blog, I recently discovered it on my quest for sites that could be motivational with getting rid of our consumer debt for once and for all. I am ashamed to say that I have been ungrateful and was always seeking the next purchase to make me feel better, which is certainly not how i was brought up. Six months into our debt elimination and I have completely changed my perspective on life and what it truly important. This entry exactly aligns with how I feel.
Gratitude = Contentment = That Warm and Fuzzy Happiness Feeling! ;~)
What happens when you do find that you do constantly think of what you don’t have no matter what you do. Not that you desire material possessions, but that you find that you are constantly lonely. That no matter what efforts you make to again companionship or build friendships they always seem to fall apart or never materialize in the first place?
This is what I find to be missing in my life and the one thing I just can’t seem to get going.
Pete, I feel for you. There are many lonely people out there. Try befriending someone who appears lonelier than you are. Volunteer at a shelter, a soup kitchen, a nursing home, a natural disaster crisis center, etc. Become a Big Brother. Your presence and your services are greatly needed and appreciated at these places. By getting out of your comfort zone and looking to the needs of others rather than focusing on your loneliness, you will find that you are no longer as lonely and discontent. You will discover a purpose for living beyond fulfilling your own needs, and in the process you will become more content and develop an “Attitude of Gratitude.”
very well said Di!!!!
“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.”
Absoultely correct. Nice job with this one.
When you can find nothing else to do, you can be grateful for what you have — even if you have to be grateful that things can’t get much worse.
Gip
Thanks, Joshua. It is so empowering to remember that gratitude is within, and that we can bring it out in the open, when we want to.
My wife and I close off most days by going through all of the wonderful things that have happened, expressing our gratitude in the process.
Your post today reminded me of my friend saying that “the best things in life arn’t things.”
Have a wonderful day.
Looking forward to your new e-book.
Best,
Anders.
“Yet, we live in a culture that preaches discontent. A consumer culture will always attack gratitude. If they can sow seeds of discontent in our lives, they can sell us on their new product line or latest version with new improvements.”
You are so right!!
If we can learn this lesson, the world will be a much happier, more contented place. Great article!
Discover a man who found profound words conveying a message sympathetic to yours.
http://lj.ljr.ch/en/quotati1.html
Just what I needed. I wish I read it sooner. Love your positive, simple approach to life, Joshua. Thank you for this.
I found a great Gratitude app on the iPhone. While I’m still getting in the habit of using it every day, I’m already reaping the benefits. It’s a great reminder that no matter how ordinary the day may have been, there are many, many things to be grateful for.
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