“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick
I read this, and it means nothing to me.
Yet I have a daily, involved gratitude practice. Give me a chance, and I’ll wax eloquent about it. I believe it is one of the most important tools for my sense of well-being, having good relationships with others, and being an effective and moral person.
And I believe both that Ozick’s platitude is objectively correct and that gratitude is a powerful and neglected way to increase human welfare.
Another way of stating your question is “how do we turn truths into motivations?” It’s a topic that’s related to the perennial discussion here about topics like akrasia, or curiosity and lack thereof.
My experience with gratitude and curiosity is that I can generate them within myself via specifiable and teachable actions. Convincing somebody to take my advice to the extent I think is necessary for them to discover the benefits is difficult.
For gratitude, my recommendation would be for somebody to write down three good things about every interaction they have, in person or via text, every day, indefinitely. They should also take a walk daily and strive to form conscious thoughts throughout that are expressions of praise and gratitude for both aspects of their life and for what they encounter on their walk. I believe that if they did this consistently, they would reliably experience a marked shift in their fundamental sense of self, relationship with the world, daily mood, sense of resilience, and more.
But I don’t know how to convince somebody to commit to that.
Here’s an example platitude:
I read this, and it means nothing to me.
Yet I have a daily, involved gratitude practice. Give me a chance, and I’ll wax eloquent about it. I believe it is one of the most important tools for my sense of well-being, having good relationships with others, and being an effective and moral person.
And I believe both that Ozick’s platitude is objectively correct and that gratitude is a powerful and neglected way to increase human welfare.
Another way of stating your question is “how do we turn truths into motivations?” It’s a topic that’s related to the perennial discussion here about topics like akrasia, or curiosity and lack thereof.
My experience with gratitude and curiosity is that I can generate them within myself via specifiable and teachable actions. Convincing somebody to take my advice to the extent I think is necessary for them to discover the benefits is difficult.
For gratitude, my recommendation would be for somebody to write down three good things about every interaction they have, in person or via text, every day, indefinitely. They should also take a walk daily and strive to form conscious thoughts throughout that are expressions of praise and gratitude for both aspects of their life and for what they encounter on their walk. I believe that if they did this consistently, they would reliably experience a marked shift in their fundamental sense of self, relationship with the world, daily mood, sense of resilience, and more.
But I don’t know how to convince somebody to commit to that.