Is there a connection between gratefulness and happiness?
David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar once suggested, “Happiness is born from gratitude.”
The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us are looking for our own embodiment of happiness.
It’s so easy to get lost in the comings and goings of our daily lives. It’s easy to get side tracked as to what matters in the long run. Sometimes it helps to take a minute and slow down, look at where we’re going, and above all, be grateful for what we have and where we live.
I tend to pause between moments, and genuinely feel grateful for the love and enthusiasm in my life. I appreciate those who have sacrificed for my well-being and for those who make my days memorable.
We all know those men or women who have everything within their means to be happy, and yet, they aren’t. They always want something else, something more.
And at the same time there are those people who’ve experienced tons of misfortune and tragedy. There are some people who have been shown little of the world’s kindness and yet, they are happy. Some even radiate a type of serenity and joy that is honestly quite surprising.
So what is gratefulness really?
I know only from experience that every person’s life journey is both unique and valuable. It can be earned and it can be bought. Experience is something that our memory calls upon, to instruct us how to behave moving forward.
Every moment is a gift given to us as an opportunity to experience life, to be grateful for life, and to attain happiness. But what can we do to be more content with our lives and ourselves?
Be mindful and stay in the moment. This means acknowledging the life we are living now. Not the past, not the future. It is happening right this instant.
Does that mean we must be grateful in every moment? No.
Most of the time, what is given to us is the opportunity to enjoy our lives, our relationships, and our mental health.
People say they want to be happy, but there are some who say that they would rather experience passion and the ups and downs of life. Some even say that the tragedies in life make us appreciate the good more than they had previously.
I believe that happiness is accepting and appreciating the now. Often, I think we confuse happiness with pleasure. Pleasure is contingent upon time, upon the object, and upon the place. It is something that changes in nature over time. A chocolate cake for instance, the first piece is rich and delicious, while the second piece nauseates you with disgust.
Pleasure is constantly warping into new figures, so it makes sense why those chasing a temporary shadow end up unhappy.
Pleasure is fleeting. It radiates from the inside.
Happiness is a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment. It’s something that is built from within.
We are often guilty of thinking happiness comes with a list of required conditions. If things go wrong, we try our best to fix the problem and create a solution. But we have very little control over our lives.
The truth is evident in those who have experienced the worst the world has to offer, and still managed to walk away stronger. The truth is evident in those have witnessed horror and lived through tragedy, and still manage to find beauty and compassion in the world around them.
If you want to achieve happiness, many say the secret is to be grateful; to appreciate the little things.
A grateful world is a joyful world.
