The Gift of Gratitude

Feeling grateful is nice. Expressing gratitude is better.

“Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.” —Fyodor Dostoyevsky

People are grateful because they are joyful, but people are also joyful because they are grateful.

There are multiple ways of looking at a situation. Some are more helpful than others. 

We can craft a narrative in which we are the victim, or we can focus on all the good we have received. We decide the view.

As the learning expert Jim Kwik often says, “What you appreciate, appreciates.”

We're not only grateful because we have received a gift. The practice of gratitude is also a gift we can give to ourselves, God, and others.