Gratitude

Gratitude is a feeling and an integral part of human connection. Empathy and gratitude are key virtues that a person must practice to live a fulfilling and morally comfortable life. Gratitude can't exist without empathy. Some people practice it inwardly, such as writing what they are grateful for in a journal, and others practice outwardly with little gifts and messages. Both have benefits and are worth trying.

Preached by generations of philosophers trying to live a better and more moral life, the idea of virtues has survived the test of time. Ask anyone which vitues someone should include in their lives and you'll get a completely different list each time. Frequently, however, gratitude and empathy make the list. Gratitude is known to connect people, when someone does something nice for you and you thank them it makes them feel good too. And when you do something nice for someone else and receive a sign of appreciation you feel seen. Empathy means feeling how others feel. When you give gratitude, you show that you see the effort that someone put into what they gave you or did for you. This is a great way to fend off entitlement which is closely related to taking things for granted. When you practice empathy you recognize that everyone is equal and that someone went out of their way for you and you want to repay them with gratitude.

November and fall in general are the time to recognize gratitude, though you should practice year-round. The holiday of Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and recognize our riches (mainly revolving around food and that wonderful Thanksgiving meal). As the weather gets colder and we get closer to the merry time of the holidays we should recognize what we have and help those who have less as a way to spread the spirit. It is a hard time of year for people who do not have family or a place to go in the cold. This makes it an opportune time to lend assistance but these problems exist year-round and it is always a good time to help.

One way to practice gratitude is inwardly. This can include writing in a gratitude journal and surrounding yourself with good messages about gratitude. This helps remind you every day of the great things in your life. We all have something to be grateful for and being mindful of that can allow us to enjoy our lives a little more.

Another way to integrate gratitude into your life is to practice outwardly. This includes being extra thoughtful and making sure to thank other people for everything, even for the little things. These thanks can be a simple phrase, a nice card, or a gift. This makes people feel good and it makes you appreciate their gift all the more because you take it to heart and recognize how important it is.

Gratitude can strengthen relationships (personal or professional) because people feel more seen and want to connect with you more. Showing your gratitude doesn't have to be big but should be frequent. This kind of appreciation shows that you truly value your partner and their time. Gratitude can make you a more kind and thoughtful person that people want to interact with. This can make you better at business and make you want to give people things or do things for them. This also creates a healthy work environment.

I hope everyone can find something today to be grateful for and to thank someone for being in your life. I'm grateful to every single one of you that visits this blog and supports our mission. Like the post, if you like pumpkin pie (or any other pie I suppose, pumpkin is my favorite)!

And have a Happy Thanksgiving!