Gratitude is one of the most important skills to cultivate. Ancient philosophies like Stoicism and modern movements like Mindfulness preach its importance, but what is gratitude really? And how can one cultivate a habit of gratitude and strengthen their skill set?
Gratitude is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness” (Oxford languages); “[noticing] your blessings and [creating] balance from life’s difficulties” (Mindfulness via Psychcentral); “Be content with what you are, and wish not change; nor dread your last day, nor long for it” (Stoics via Marcus Aurelius).
A full definition of gratitude, then, is being content with, and thankful for, yourself and the things and circumstances in which you find yourself. In short, gratitude is the art of contentment and thankfulness.
I have already written on contentment, but it ultimately boils down to the feeling of being, and having, enough. Contentment operates on both the internal level of personal being— I do enough, I think enough, I rest enough, my body is enough, I am enough— and the external level of circumstances and things— I am safe, I have enough.
Thankfulness, then, operates on both levels as well. You can be thankful for yourself, your body, and your mind. Acknowledging the resilience that has gotten you this far is a powerful force of thankfulness. You have lived through every moment in your life so far. This is a feat in and of itself, and your mind and body have protected you along the way. The growth that you have experienced should be acknowledged often, the way your mind has assimilated new information or grown out of its limits. The weariness that meets you at the end of the day can transform into thankfulness— the thankfulness that your body managed itself today.
These are all internal, personal versions of thankfulness. Together with the contentment that your mind and body are enough, they form the pinnacle of internal gratitude. Resting on contentment and being thankful for the journey so far.
External thankfulness is a gift from you to another, or to any outside force. This can be thanking a friend for a kind word, a stranger for holding a door open for you, fate for the surprise breakthrough that will power your next creative pursuit. Anything outside of yourself can also be thanked for its contribution.
The interplay between contentment and thankfulness to external forces can present some difficulties in elevating either to gratitude. When things start to go awry, it is easy to see increased instances of negativity. Once the complaining starts, your mind will search for things to complain about. What is, on one day, a minor inconvenience brings about massive frustration on another day.
This is why it is important to practice gratitude— the same forces that work for negativity spirals work for positivity spirals. If you can find contentment in the world and yourself, you will be presented with more opportunities to be thankful. Marcus Aurelius said it best when he wrote “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” If you complain, your soul starts to take on the color of complaint— but, if you practice gratitude, its multitude of colors paint your soul.
This does not mean to tolerate everything and find contentment in negative situations. Rather, it means to search for the things that have contentment and thankfulness at all times. In many ways, suffering is the most human action, but we can change the pathways in our brains to route for contentment and thankfulness often, seeking the good instead of ruminating on the bad.
Today, as people in the United States take a holiday to celebrate thankfulness and gratitude, I want to add my voice to the sea of gratitude by deliberately noticing the many blessings I have and drawing those reflections to the surface
First and foremost, thank you to my multi-talented wife and editor, Abigail McKay Cherry. Without her support, Two Minute Treatise would have never taken form, not to mention all of the other deficiencies that would exist in my life. Partnership beyond compare.
Thank you to Jeremy Harr, the other vital member of the Two Minute Treatise team. Thank you for having the editing gig dumped upon you one night while I was randomly musing about this project, and for never missing a deadline. You’re a valuable member of our three-person team and an even more valuable friend.
Thank you to Logan Hart, who gives a final look to every essay before they hit your inboxes on Monday morning. The weekly “looks good homie” dispels any of my remaining anxiety before my ideas get published on the internet. Further, your initial encouragement helped moved this prophecy from a passing thought to a serious consideration.
Thank you to Jacob VandenBoom, another friend close to the project who collaborated on the On Morality long-form essay and otherwise offers meaningful conversation that has made a difference in my thoughts, opinions and life.
Thank you to Mark Hosseini, who spent many hours helping me figure out graphic designs, logos, and other pro bono consultations to get the media portion of the project off the ground. Without your eyes, things would look much different, and much worse.
Thank you to several of the above as well as Samantha Westlake-Hart, Melody Baker and Kathryn Santiago for your contributions to the On Music long-form essay. It was by far my favorite essay to create, made special by the unique blend of insights that you all shared with me and my audience.
Thank you to the long list of supporters I know in person or have cultivated a relationship with online, especially Amie McGraham, who interviewed me for her own newsletter, was one of my very first writing connections, and who I see constantly interacting with my posts.
And, lastly and most importantly, thank you to all of you. There is no Two Minute Treatise without the readers, and I am humbled by the response that my little essays have received over the past year. This project has taken on a life of its own in many ways, and I am grateful for every single view, like, comment, and share that a post receives. It is a crazy experience to know that my words make a difference in the lives of people who are otherwise strangers, even if only for two minutes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Edited by Jeremy Harr and Abigail McKay Cherry
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Nice work Noah. I have some catching up to do and I am really looking forward to it. I have been a bit trapped in my head and not reading your wonderful Treatises but that changes today. Hugs to you and Meg❤️❤️❤️
Contentment pairs well with gratitude, a combo I hadn’t thought about before. Nice job tying the two together.
Here I go commenting again! Thanks for the 💜