Gratitude: here’s to hope

I’ll start by saying that, by now, you should have seen this coming. Of course there was bound to be a fresh perspective focused on gratitude. It’s who we are. But, let’s start at the beginning.

I remember when I first started trying my hand at writing, I was petrified. I have some friends that are published writers and every time I hinted at wanting to write… Let’s just say, I left those conversations feeling heartbreakingly discouraged and full of doubt.

Over a year later, and this platform was created, as a space to practice my writing and to learn new skills. But deeper than that, I think it was meant to be a space for me to learn how to heal.

As time has gone on, it’s become increasingly more difficult. The past six weeks has seen me say goodbye to both my grandmother and my uncle, without the ability to be near my family and I’ve felt a little lost, I think. Trying to navigate my way through these times, trying new things, tasking myself to succeed at arbitrary rules and deadlines. And I’ve discovered a few tricks along the way.

So again, today’s fresh perspective is about gratitude. I know, I know, the beginning of this piece seemed like it was going in a different direction but, if I’m honest, I don’t think I’ll ever stop looking for a way to change the narrative.

Anyways, my law professor once told me that every great argument, starts first with the definition. Let’s explore it.

Gratitude is a human emotion that can be most simply defined as appreciation or acknowledgement of an altruistic act.

Emmons and Stern, 2013

Change the Past

You’ve heard us say this before and you’ll hear us say it again – we’re here to learn how to change the narrative. And I think a key piece in being able to do that, is the ability to truly be grateful.

Think about it. You can, technically, change the past by simply being grateful for it. The clear majority of people, myself included, tend to look back at the past and focus on the gaps that were never filled. We remember the friends that hurt us, the moments that scarred us, and the things we didn’t or couldn’t do. So, yeah, you can’t change the individual moments of the past but you can change the moments you remember. You can choose to focus on the gain. Instead of remembering the day things went wrong, focus on the day where things went right.

It’s up to you whether you want to remember the pain you felt, or the knowledge you gained.

Appreciate the present

The most impactful words that I have heard throughout this quarantine, specifically, were

If you focus on your circumstances, you’ll find plenty to complain about. But if you focus on your capability, then your only option is to get moving.

Hardy, 2019

It’s weird because the Oxford definition of gratitude, is the act of appreciation for things that are outside of you – but I disagree. It’s a bold statement to disagree with the Oxford definition of something, I know, and yet here we are.

Sometimes gratitude is just a matter of appreciating where and who you are, even if simply for a moment.

Define the future

I’ll admit, there’s a chance I spend too much time with my head in the clouds. I spend a lot of time defining mindfulness and practicing gratitude, but what else can you do? To live a passive life, scares me to bits.

Our fresh perspective bundled up in a final paragraph: I don’t know what battles you’re facing right now. I don’t know how you feel, but I know that you’ve made it far. So, find a way to be grateful for that. Life isn’t easy, but I don’t think it was meant to be. You don’t have to be grateful for the hardships or the challenges, because a lot of the time they feel unfair. Sometimes the ability to change the way we look at something, is all we have.

In fact, stay tuned. This may actually become the title of the next chapter of our podcast. Chapter Two: Gratitude.