🙏 The Art of Gratitude

I’ve come to realize that it’s human nature to dwell on negative events more than positive events. It’s why you tend to remember insults more than compliments and recall failures more than successes. This cognitive bias can cause us to live lives that are less fulfilled and more sad than we may want.

On the bright side, it’s surprisingly simple to overcome this bias: simply take the time to be thankful for the positive things in your life. 

Being thankful can make the difference between living a healthy life filled with happiness and beautiful relationships or a miserable one.

But feeling thankful is only half of it. There’s one more step you need to do to amplify the positive effects.

But first, here’s 3 things I’m thankful for.

🌌 What I’m Thankful For

1. The fact I’ll die someday

I feel immense luck and fortune that I was able to experience what it means to live. And die. Knowing that I have a limited time to play this game called “life” fills me with a deep sense of appreciation and urgency.

It makes me cherish every moment I have. It’s what makes every shared joy more profound because I know it could be my last.

It sounds silly, but whenever I’m around friends or family, I like to take a step back, disconnect from the activity, and just observe for a minute. I look at everyone’s faces, the environment, breathe, and just let this sense of joy and gratitude take over.

Spending a relaxed evening with my family and close friends is something I can never get tired of. No judgement, no resentment; just people I love who are happy to be in each other’s presence and are ready to savour every moment.

This reminds me that I’m not alone. Just as I love others, I’m loved. It reinforces our shared journey and the idea that joy is best experienced with others and that true happiness is found in connecting with others.

2. Moments of solitude

This is very different from loneliness. It’s being by myself because I chose to be by myself. These are some of my favorite moments where I find comfort. It’s time when I get to really learn about and understand myself.

More specifically, I like to take this time to go through my past failures, fears, and emotional scars – things that I’m not comfortable enough to talk about with someone else yet.

I was terrified of quitting my job. I replayed my life over and over again to try and figure out why. The reasons were endless: the lack of financial security, the feeling of uncertainty, etc.

But for each reason, I was eventually able to come up with a solution. And when I “solved” every issue, I took the leap to quit my job and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. There’s an indescribable feeling that comes with facing an internal struggle head on and overcoming it.

3. Experiencing the unknown

Doing something new makes me feel like I’m in an Indiana Jones series. Just like an adventure movie, I don’t know what’s coming next: what new sights I’ll take in, what new people I’ll meet, or what new stories I’ll be able to share – I might hate something but I also might love it. 

It’s a complete gamble – rolling the dice of life and anticipating the positive anxiety of not knowing what’s next.

I especially love to try new foods. For me, eating is a pathway into my physical, mental, and spiritual state. It’s not just about filling myself up – it’s about taking delight in every bite, feeling the textures, smelling the smells, and pausing to appreciate the flavors that someone spent their time, energy, and experience to make for me.