Thankfulness vs Gratitude

3 Fruits of Gratitude

Hi Everyone,

At this time of year, everyone is preparing for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The current state of the country and the world can cause a bit of pause in our celebrations. Many are trying to decide how they will celebrate and with whom. There are still others who are trying to figure out exactly what the holiday means to them this year.

Hopefully we will use the days prior to Thanksgiving to give some thought to our celebrations, not only this year, but every year after this and even each day. Thanksgiving is associated with bounty. My focus for this website is Bountiful Living. I believe that living a Bountiful life cannot be totally achieved without also living a life of gratitude.

In today’s world the new buzz terms are “grateful living”, “attitude of gratitude” or “being grateful”. Is this word, grateful/gratitude, the same as thankful? At the Thanksgiving table many have each person share what they are thankful for. Children and adults are reminded to be “grateful”.

But have you ever thought about the difference between grateful and thankful? Often these words are used interchangeably. I would like to share my findings on the difference between the two, and hopefully provide a little food for thought as we approach the upcoming holiday and each day after that.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word thankful as “pleased and relieved.” Both of those are great feelings. Everyone wants to be pleased and relieved. But that’s just it; they’re just feelings, and unfortunately, feelings often fade.  The word grateful is defined as “showing an appreciation for something done or received.” This is where the difference comes into play; being thankful is a feeling, and being grateful is an action.

For us here in the United States, Thanksgiving is the holiday that brings to mind all of the things that we are thankful for in our lives. Some never think about the fact that other countries don’t even celebrate this holiday.

We get warm fuzzy feelings about our families, friends and blessings in our lives. We prepare to gather with family and friends to eat a feast to celebrate these feelings of thankfulness.

This past year has caused many to continuously think about what and whom they are thankful for. Many have lost jobs, homes and unfortunately loved ones. This year we reflect on the sadness of the many losses and try to focus on how thankful we are to be healthy and alive.

It’s somewhat easy for most of us to look around the Thanksgiving dinner table and say what we are thankful for. We are often surrounded by family, friends, and food and in that moment in time, we experience that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with a holiday gathering, we’re thankful. We may feel thankful for their presence in our lives, and happy that everyone is well since the last gathering.

Gratitude, however, goes much deeper than this. It is a state of being, where your sense of appreciation comes from deep within. Being thankful is the first step, and we have to have that initial feeling to build upon. Gratitude is more than just the feeling of thankfulness. We build upon our feelings of thankfulness by redirecting our focus into making gratefulness an active part of our lives 365 days a year.

Here are 3 Fruits of Grateful Living

1. You are at peace with yourself and the world. You appreciate and are truly content with your life in any circumstance. Contentment fosters a feeling of calm and fulfillment. My reference for gratitude and contentment is Philippians 4:12.
2. Gratitude requires us to stay alert of the role of others in our lives. This is different from the fleeting nature of the act of a mere ‘thank you’ or feeling thankful one day of the year. Through gratitude, we get to make sense of our lives and learn to credit and show our loved ones the appreciation they deserve through actions that reflect our gratitude or feelings of thankfulness for the blessing of their presence.
3. Gratitude stays at the forefront of our lives. It’s not just thinking about how thankful we are to have all that we have. It’s about living out that gratitude through the simple things we do every day. Action is required, such as what is recommended in Bountiful Living. We find ways to give back or “pay our gratitude forward’. Each of us is capable of doing this. Simple actions can often deliver big results.

The key, Gratitude is the manifestation of love, devotion and commitment towards those who mean the most to you. It embraces shared experiences, shared love and an understanding that if we look and really see, there is much to keep us happy, and help us understand how connected we are to others.

If you haven’t tried it, start a Gratitude Journal, and open your mind up to just how helpful this simple practice may be on the path toward embracing your thankfulness. A Gratitude Journal is the practice of jotting down, each day), things that we are grateful for. If the idea of a daily journal is too much, begin with a weekly journal. A Gratitude Journal allows us to become more present and aware.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow”

~Melody Beattie~

Have a Blessed, Thankful and Grateful Holiday!!!!

Your Future Pilot to Transformation,

BA Design ~ MA Ed ~ Certified Life Coach ~ Workshop Facilitator

**DISCLAIMER~PLEASE NOTE**– I am not a medical or mental health professional. This post is based upon my own experiences and is not intended to suggest that others take it as professional medical advice. Always consult your medical professional before making any changes to your medication or lifestyle.