By Ahsan
When I think of gratitude, I think of the little and big things of life that make me happy. How about you?

If we consider the quotes below, you will see two perspectives on gratitude that are undeniably evident:

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." ⎯Epictetus, Greek Stoic Philosopher

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” —Willie Nelson, Country Music Legend

Epictetus reminds us that we should be grateful for what we have and not lament what we don’t have.

Willie reminds us to count our blessings.

Both of these quotes can help us to capture a greater sense of happiness and contentment in life. After all, life is not a 24/7 banquet, sometimes you get lemons and other times you get lemon-aide.

If we follow the advice of these two sages, we might focus on having greater awareness and be more likely to notice things. For example: having a job is better than being unemployed and having clean water to drink is a blessing. These realizations are essential, however, sometimes they only provide temporary and short-lived bliss.

What is missing if gratitude is the attitude that determines your altitude of feeling happy and content?

At the heart of any state of gratitude is not only being aware of your blessings but being thankful for them. Typically, when we are grateful for something, we are thankful to someone. For example, the person that hired you as in the case of your job or the intelligent person that invented water purification for the clean and safe drinking water.

Why not think about who you are grateful to and include them in your gratitude practice?

If you are a spiritual person, you might like to also do the following:

Make a list of the things you enjoy.
Thank God for providing them to you.
Go inward via prayer or meditation and thank the Source of your blessings.
Pray or meditate daily and when you are done asking for more grace, consciously think of the things that make you happy and thank your God for giving you what you enjoy.

In other words, just being thankful for what you have and counting your blessings may not bring you intense happiness and contentment that is lasting. Thanking the Source is the missing piece of the gratitude puzzle.

Just as you are thankful to someone who opens a door for you or quenches your thirst on a hot day, take time to go inward and thank the Source who gave you what you have.

Be blessed and blissed!