We live in a time when we are surrounded by things that are supposed to bring us happiness. Over the last 100 years, our daily lives have become exponentially easier. We are safer, healthier, enjoy countless comforts and technologies that free us from the mundane, have endless knowledge at our fingertips and vast opportunities to explore. And yet, are we happier?
Human beings have an innate drive to solve problems and improve their circumstances. This instinct has not only fueled the incredible progress we’ve achieved as a species, but also may explain our tendency to focus on what still needs fixing. Don’t we all, to some degree, believe we need to improve and change our circumstances? Do we not too often yearn for the next big thing before appreciating what we already have? This very human instinct may be what creates the paradox: even in a world full of material comforts, many of us still feel a deep sense of discontent.
If you think about it, many unhealthy habits are born of discontent. Materialism stems from our discontent with what we own, making us unwittingly vulnerable to the pulls of advertisers and social media. Beyond this, acts of dishonesty come from a discontent with what is true, addictions and substance abuse result from a compulsion to escape from the current moment, feuds and fights arise when we fail to find satisfaction with people around us.
It stands to reason that if discontent is the root of our unhappiness and our unhealthy habits, then contentment is the cure. And how do we reach contentment? With the consistent practice of gratitude. In other words, we must temper our expectations with a deep appreciation for what we have. It is possible for all of us to make this shift. The key is to make this shift as instinctive as our drive to focus on what needs to change.
The experts - from mental health professionals to spiritual leaders - advise us to make gratitude a daily practice. Take the time to appreciate all the things that help us to survive and to thrive - from something as basic as our beating heart, to the people, places and things that can make our hearts sing. Imagine - a daily practice that costs nothing and promises to take us closer to the happiness we all seek. The only requirement? Consistency. Let’s carry gratitude beyond Thanksgiving, immersing ourselves in a mindful, practiced attitude of appreciation every day.
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