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Gratitude is the healthiest and most underrated of all human emotions.

 

This week we finished the 6-month renovation of our apartment, and I am so dam grateful that I was able to enjoy the whole experience and I love how the apartment has turned out.

 

Yes, everything ran to schedule and yes, I micro-managed the shit out of everything (surprise, surprise). But really, I am extremely grateful for being able to share the whole renovation process with Maryanne and the rest of my family.

 

I am also very grateful for the fantastic group of tradesman and contractors who have made our vision come to life. They are all specialists in their trade that work seamlessly together as part of the DDB family.

 

Floating on this cloud of emotion has made me think about gratitude and its positive power. Feeling and expressing gratitude is so much more than saying thank you. It is the ultimate “win-win.”

 

Gratitude is a simple emotion that allows you to recognise and acknowledge the good things that happen resulting in a feeling of appreciation. When you express the feeling of appreciation to other people it makes them feel valued and validated and creates a domino effect. People that experience gratitude tend to reciprocate and pass on this feeling to others.

 

“The more you express gratitude, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” Zig Ziglar

 

Unfortunately, humans are pre-programed to focus more on negative emotions (disappointment, anger, resentment etc) and positive emotions like gratitude are often suppressed or felt fleetingly. So, the real challenge we all face is how to make gratitude a long-term positive character trait?

 

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward

 

The power is in expressing your gratitude.

 

Everyone loves receiving thanks and recognition from others. Expressing gratitude is the same as physical gift giving, it always feels better to give a gift than to receive one.

 

Gratitude attracts gratitude.

 

The good news is that your ability to feel and express gratitude can be improved with self-awareness and regular practice. The more you feel thankful and acknowledge your good fortune the closer you come to making gratitude a permanent part of your personality.

 

One small gratitude practice I use daily.

 

• Whenever someone returns a phone call or text message, I say or text “thank you for returning my call/text.” This only takes a few seconds but shows the other person that I value their time and communication. Common curtesy is so easy and simple, yet so few people use it…

 

We all have so much to be thankful for.

 

We live in a free democratic society in one of the most liveable cities in the world, in the best country and at the best time in history, so “shut up and be grateful.”

 

Thanks for reading,

Stay safe and give thanks.

David