It is often said that gratitude is key to many things such as happiness, contentment, true wealth and success. It is linked with serotonin, giving a calming affect on the body. Although it is easy to acknowledge, many people still do not practise gratitude.
In general, the more that you practise gratitude, the more content that you become in the present moment. Many people can experience feelings of dissatisfaction by focusing on things such as what they don’t have. It is important to have ambitions and goals, but even also important to be grateful for what you have and enjoy the journey to your aspirations.
People that spend the majority of their time feeling dissatisfied have an abundance of things that they can be grateful for. From people who have gained great success in a field (e.g. accumulating wealth, acquiring fame through their talents etc.), to people who maybe having a hard time (e.g. homeless, illness etc.). The fact is everyone has things to be grateful for.
The obvious things to be grateful for include close relations, but even if somebody felt they didn’t have that, there are still an abundance of things to be grateful for. For example, fresh air, nature or utilizing amenities that we didn’t make (e.g. the choice of foods in shops, the buildings and roads that we use etc.).
Once you can be grateful in yourself no matter the circumstance, you can remain content regardless of things external to you. For example, if working towards a goal not yet attained, achieving it isn’t as important as enjoying the journey. Enjoying the journey includes being grateful and counting blessings, with any earnings made a bonus. In addition, this good feeling breeds more positivity around you (see Law of Attraction for more).
Professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology Andrew Huberman discusses the importance of gratitude in detail in the podcast below:
More can be read on gratitude in its category here.