Gratitude is not appreciation

Gratitude speaks more to our soul than any gift or trinket, or whispers of endearment.

Gratitude is impossible without respect,
and respect is impossible without honesty,
and honesty is impossible without sincerity,
and sincerity is impossible without self-respect,
and self-respect is impossible without conviction,
and conviction is impossible without self-worth…

And so it continues until we realise that expecting gratitude or appreciation from someone that lacks any of these fundamental traits in their character is an exercise in futility.

We cannot give what we don’t have.

Therefore, if we’re falling short in any of the attributes that lead to gratitude, the most we’ll be capable of is appreciation.

And appreciation is not the same as gratitude.

Appreciation is simply the acknowledgment of a blessing or benefit.

Gratitude is reflected in what you do with that blessing or benefit that you claim to appreciate.

It’s like appreciating the fact that you have a job, but putting in only as much effort as is needed to meet your boss’s expectations so that you don’t get fired.

Or appreciating that you have a car, but not maintaining it or using it in a way that reflects gratitude for the value that it creates in your life.

You can have the world to be grateful for, but no one can insert gratitude into your heart.

Gratitude is therefore not what we journal about, or what we praise or acknowledge.

Gratitude is showing up in a way that does justice to the ability we have to show up.

Gratitude is about not living life in half measures, or compromising what we stand for from fear of exclusion or rejection.

Gratitude, if nothing else, is at the heart of peace and contentment, because it connects us purposefully with who we are and what we are capable of, regardless of what others see or don’t see in us.

We can therefore not be grateful of others if we lack gratitude for ourselves.

It always starts with you.

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