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Picking Apart Gratitude
What is it, why it matters, and why you need it every day
As I sit here at my computer on Thanksgiving Eve, scrolling through social media and reading all the posts about gratitude, I couldn’t help but wonder: Is this just a seasonal platitude, or are people legitimately grateful?
I see a lot of these same people bitching and complaining throughout the year.
They don't randomly do a post on February 2 expressing their gratitude or on, say, September 27.
Do they store all of their gratitude for an appreciation explosion that gets vomited all over their social media pages come this time of year? Are they finally reminded that things could always be worse than the crap they whined about all year?
Or is it an “everyone else is doing it” vibe? Brands, marketers, friends, family, and colleagues are all expressing their gratitude and repeating the mantra, “During this season of giving…” Might as well join along so you don’t seem, well, ungrateful.
While this perspective might seem pessimistic, I certainly don't doubt people are sincere in their seasonal demonstration of gratitude.
But what does it mean to really feel grateful, and how can you practice it all year round and not just during the last two months of the year?
