Throughout life, many of us at points live on autopilot, following the same habits and routines on a daily basis. We do this because we are comforted by structure or feeling in control because even though a new day has not happened yet if it is planned out then we already know to a certain extent how it will go. At least, we think that we know. As humans, we want to feel in control of life, but the truth is that life is so unpredictable, and you can never fully plan for the future. You will never truly know what tomorrow will bring.
Then, how does gratitude come into play when discussing our everyday activities? Gratitude is being appreciative or thankful for what one has. Gratitude is crucial because it represents a complex understanding of different perspectives. In order to be thankful for something, one must recognize that they have the privilege to a certain degree. Maybe not to the degree that they wished they had but nonetheless, it is essential to recognize the existence of privileges, as this is gratitude. To express gratitude, or be thankful, one must realize that they have something that another person does not, and that their life could be more difficult. Gratitude should be expressed especially for the things that we think about the least because these tend to be the things that concern others the most. For example, a lot of people don’t think to be grateful for the roof over their head, the three meals that they got to eat that day, the clothes that they get to put on their body, etc.
The world that we live in is very materialistic. In many ways, it is extremely shallow and not about who you truly are but rather what you have. Sure, you might be a kind, hard-working, loving person but this cannot be judged on the surface. Whereas the way you present yourself to the world, through clothing, technology, or location for example, is on the exterior and assumptions can immediately be made.
It’s hard not to fall into this trap and think that we all need to dress the same, or have the latest and greatest tech items, or live in a “good neighborhood” so to speak. How one doesn’t fall into this trap is by being grateful. By reflecting and saying to themselves, sure, I don’t have a big house, or I don’t have a bunch of trendy clothes. The key part is recognizing that even though you might not have everything you may want, I have everything I need, and I should be content since I am so fortunate. Maybe I don’t live in a big house, but a house is better than being homeless. And maybe I don’t have trendy clothes but at least I have clothes in my closet to wear.
It’s not wrong to desire, or to want things that you don’t need. This is natural and something that everybody does. However, you should never forget that you are fortunate to have things that other people don’t.
So, in short, to answer the question of how I am grateful, the answer is through self-reflection and self-conversation. Engaging with the little voice inside my head to have conversations that are often not thought to be needed. This is how I view gratitude, and what I recommend for other people who are interested in being grateful too.