At the Heart of Thankfulness

This is how thankfulness (gratitude) works—for everyone: When our minds are cluttered, we don’t feel thankful. When our minds are clear, we do feel thankful. In truth, thankfulness has nothing to do with the world outside (our circumstances). Like any feeling or emotion, thankfulness is directly connected to our thinking. And because my head is fairly clear as I write this Thanksgiving-week article, I want to share the following with you.

My hope is that someday the world will catch on to the inside-out paradigm described above. That someday we’ll stop falling for the trick of the mind that has us looking outside for causes and cures for what we each feel on the inside. Looking outside—including for what we’re supposed to be thankful for—requires personal thought. And personal thought obstructs both our connection to God and our collective power to overcome.

In this spirit, here then is what’s truly important about thankfulness (in spite of all the personal reasons everyone talks about): People who tend to not look outside for the source of their feelings live in clarity of mind and thankfulness more often. Clear and thankful people give more than they take. They set examples of resilience. They are selfless, inspiring, determined, and loving. They help change the world for the better.

This time of year, many of us deliberately work against our nature. We force ourselves to be thankful, only to end up feeling confused and distressed. What we need to understand, instead, is that our feelings are not linked to the circumstances of our lives—although it often appears otherwise. That’s why those of us who don’t search for things to be personally thankful for are the most thankful, and productive, people alive.

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Peace to the world this Thanksgiving,

Garret