What is the Definition of Gratitude?
Is there a set definition of gratitude?
When you type it in Google, the first thing you see is the quality of being thankful.
Eh.
That’s cool & all, but I feel like it’s a little vague.
‘So how do you define it?’
I define it as Celebrating your wins so you condition your mind to magnetize more wins.
‘Hmm… interesting. But does gratitude really magnetize your mind for more wins?’
It absolutely does.
And to be honest, it’s one of the best ways to go from a scarcity-minded clown to an abundance mindset winner.
But before you incorporate it into your life, you need to understand the WHY behind it.
This story will help you understand why so you can begin your journey.
The Old School Hater
I remember back in my middle school days, there was this dude that would always show up to our basketball court.
The guy was around 50, dirty ass clothes, and smelled like shit.
His name was Radio.
‘What was his personality like?’
Negative.
He would always come to the court when the kids were playing & pretty much insult us the whole time.
He’d say that we couldn’t shoot, dribble or pass like he could.
Radio was always spreading negative vibes whenever he came around.
‘How come he didn’t uplift you guys?’
Because Radio had a scarcity mindset.
In his mind, he was always competing with us for some strange reason.
Anytime one of us would have a good game, he would say :
‘Back in my days, I’d kick your ass!’
He had a knack of viewing our wins as his losses & our losses as his wins.
You have to be a special kind of loser to compete against middle school kids, right?
Not in Radio’s world.
He viewed us as a threat.
What’s funny is that he would never step on the court.
He would just talk shit from the sidelines.
‘Cool story Armani, but what does this have to do with gratitude?’
It has a lot to do with it.
The reason that Radio behaved the way he did was because he was not a grateful person.
He never acknowledged his own wins in life.
Results?
He always felt like he was being left behind.
And the truth is you will become a Radio unless you start getting your act together.
You’ll feel like an empty old man who always wants to compete with middle schoolers.
Well, not exactly that, but you get the point.
Why is Gratitude Important?
Gratitude is important because it is a life hack to rewire your mindset.
Had Radio practiced gratitude every day, then his mindset would have shifted.
He would realize that in fact he was a stud basketball player back in the days & be grateful for it.
He would be grateful that he was alive & breathing, while many were taken from this planet too soon.
He would be grateful that he has clothes & shelter.
But instead of that, his mind is only focused on what he is missing.
And when his mind behaves like this, it leads him to pick fights with little kids.
His mind genuinely viewed us as competition.
Gratitude is one of the best ways to exercise your mind toward optimism.
You see the glass as half full rather than half empty.
And when you have optimism on your side, you begin to magnetize a boatload of abundance.
Is it too late to be Grateful?
‘Dude, you’re making some points! I realized that I’ve been like Radio my entire life. Is there any way to change??’
Sure.
You can begin now.
‘Begin now? Don’t I have to read a few books & all that?’
Nope.
You can literally begin now & do it for the rest of your life.
It really is that simple.
Just know that if you are going to do it, then you need to go all in.
Not do it one day & skip the next 3 days.
I want you to do it every single day!
If you accept the challenge, proceed on.
How to Practice Gratitude?
You want to begin your morning & end your night off with gratitude.
This is very important because:
The morning allows you to set the tone for the day.
The night allows you to set the tone for the next day.
Note: You can practice it at other parts of the day as well, no need to limit yourself. The morning & night are just baselines.
Now that you know when to do it, I want to explain how.
There are 2 ways.
- Written.
- Off the head.
Written Gratitude
This is when you have written out your small & big wins on a board, notepad, Word Document etc.
Then you read it out loud.
Off the head Gratitude
This is when you have to consciously think of your wins & say it out loud.
This strategy requires more thinking from your end.
‘Which method do you use?’
I use off the head because it helps me think more & allows me to be more active in the process.
But both work to be honest.
Pick whichever works for you & stick to it!
How Long Will It Take my Mindset to Shift?
Depends on the person, to be honest.
If you were an overly negative person in your past life, you’ll have some work to do, of course.
But I don’t even want you to view it with a results-based mindset.
I want you to view it with a process-based mindset.
Just focus on getting thru your gratitude routine every day.
Most people reading this will not be able to do it daily.
So if you are able to make it happen, then that’s something to be grateful for its own!
As time passes by, you’ll notice that you:
Feel happier.
Feel calmer.
No longer take the little things for granted.
Soon, you may develop your own definition of gratitude like I did.
And that’s the point.
Gratitude is simply a stepping stone for a changed reality.
You begin thinking grander than ever!
Ready to create your own definition of Gratitude?
‘I sure as hell am ready!’
Great.
Just know that consistency is KING.
Your daily practice will begin to add up.
You will soon begin building momentum like none other.
Once you are able to do that, you have your mindset by your side.
And let’s just say life is a lot easier when your mind is working for you rather than against you.
If you are ready to pick up this challenge, I want you to comment on your present-day definition of gratitude below!
Then come back in 1 month & see if that definition has changed.
Good luck!