Happiness reflects. Gratitude reminds. 🔎
↩️UNFOLLOW University — November 24, 2023
Happy Friday,
Today, I am grateful.
🖤 I have a healthy, beautiful family and a thriving community of friends I care deeply about.
⚡️ I have work to do. My calling and career are uniquely suited for what I’m doing now.
🌲 I have integrity. My actions, beliefs and thoughts are rooted in the truth of who I am.
🙏🏽 I have meaningful memories from a Thanksgiving week that nourished my soul.
Gratitude is an easy emotion to have when life is good.
But what about when life isn’t good? How can I be grateful when life isn’t great? Where will today’s happiness be when I return to work next week?
Maybe it’s time for a gratitude adjustment?
🤯 Radical Truth
Happiness is a reflection. Gratitude is a reminder.
Happiness reflects my circumstances. Gratitude reminds me they are temporary.
The 4 statements above are all “I have” statements. Gratitude is a reminder of what I already have and what is already true. Being grateful is more than a feeling, it can also be a way of thinking.
As gratitude grows, it becomes bigger than happiness. It matures from an emotion to a practice. It goes from something I feel when things are good to something I know no matter how I feel. Happiness mirrors what is, gratitude magnifies what’s true.
To clarify, gratitude isn’t ignorance of what’s wrong, bad or hard. Gratitude is the practice of remembering what’s good and true despite what’s hard.
Gratitude won’t ensure happiness or cure unhappiness. It is not an antidote to anxiety, depression or the many stresses of life. Instead, gratitude is the fruit of my connections to myself and others.
Gratitude celebrates. Where do I see goodness today?
Gratitude appreciates. What has already been provided?
Gratitude participates. How can I be present in the life I have?
Gratitude doesn’t ignore what’s wrong. It simply invites me to remember what’s true.
But there’s a catch. The price of gratitude is presence. It’s time to walk away from the screen and celebrate the goodness growing around you. In a world of constant distraction, perhaps we’ve overlooked our greatest weapon against discontentment: living the life you already have.
Yes, I’m about to take my own advice. Till next week! ✌🏽
Ice skating does NOT make me happy but I’m grateful for the memory. 😂
⚡️Courageous Question
Where do I see goodness today? What has already been provided? How can I be present in the life I have?
🗣 Wonderful Words
“With gratitude, we become greater participants in our lives as opposed to spectators.”
🙏🏽 Prayer Package
God, I’m grateful for the life you’ve given me and the gift of spending it with you. It’s so tempting to think my way out of good situations. I often feel hardwired to focus on what’s wrong. Today, remind me of what’s true, worthy, honorable, lovely and kind. Life is more than circumstances and you are more than a distant deity. Help me stay fixed on you and focused on gratitude. When I don’t understand you, help me trust you. Amen.
🎵 Reason To Praise - Bethel Music 🙌🏽
🛠 Practical Tool
Gratitude is a human experience but it’s hard to understand as a concept. No person or book has helped me grasp the practice of gratitude more than Brené Brown’s “Atlas of the Heart.”
It’s a book and a TV series but don’t let its popularity overshadow its utility. Things can be commercially successful and personally valuable without compromising truth. Don’t read it all the way through - use it as a reference for topics, emotions and meanings you need to better understand.
I’m grateful for you!
You can learn more about my story here or check out my previous posts.
See you next UNFOLLOW Friday!
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Every Friday I’ll send you 5 courageous ideas to help you redesign your work life by making better career decisions:
🤯 Radical Truth - A story from me
⚡️ Courageous Question - A challenge for you
🗣 Wonderful Words - A quote worth remembering
🙏🏽 Prayer Package - A moment of meditation
🛠 Practical Tool - An actionable resource
