To me, writing is easy – and I am deeply grateful for this. But that’s not so for everyone.
It is easy to get caught up in recognizing what we don’t have.
Hell, entire industries exist trying to sell us what we don’t have by convincing us of needs we were unaware of. It’s not hard to find yourself feeling lacking because you don’t have the doohickey that will make you and your life amazing.
This often gets focused on the material. But the immaterial is what we live with most. All kinds of things that we cannot see, touch, or otherwise experience with 5 of our 6 senses make us up.
While it’s easy to look to, at, and for the material when it comes to being grateful, the immaterial can be equally – if not more – important.
The intangible is often so seemingly small that it’s easy to disregard. Like breathing. Being (hopefully) healthy. Having a roof over your head. Owning a device on which you can read articles like this one.
This is still about things. It’s also possible – and equally empowering – to be grateful for talents, skills, abilities, and personality traits.
For example – I am grateful for my empathy, compassion, big heart, and desire to find ways to help others. I recognize that not everyone feels this way – just read the news for viable examples of lacking basic human decency.
Moving beyond these – I am also highly grateful for my talents. These include things like the medieval fencing skills I’ve been developing for 30 years, the speed I can type at, my amateur photography skills, cooking abilities, and my writing.
And that’s the gratitude I’d like to focus on today.
Why does gratitude for anything matter?
Probably the single best way to grow is to begin by being grateful for all that you have.
One of the purest elements of positivity is gratitude. Real, genuine, true gratitude is always positive.
Finding things to be grateful for can open the way to discover, create, and uncover more to express your thanks towards and for. Gratitude is a two-way street. Giving it feels just as good as getting it.
Gratitude also keeps you humble. It’s recognition that you have the thing – and are appreciative of it. Appreciation appreciates – and in a world where fear of lack, scarcity, and insufficiency drive so many – appreciative appreciation recognizes abundance.
Abundance means there is more than enough to go around. And this is applicable to all things material and immaterial.
There are too many people who live life wanting, and are not grateful for what they do have. Many don’t realize that’s what they are doing – and disempowering themselves as such.
Gratitude empowers us to build, create, and do amazing things. You don’t need to be “somebody” to make use of this. And that’s something I know I am super grateful for.
So why do I feel the need to express being grateful for my writing ability today?
Why I am grateful for the ability to write?
Many people don’t truly know what they want/desire from life. They have maybe a vague sense of what makes them content and gets them excited – but they don’t know it.
I know what lights me up. Creating. Spending time working on my website, recording and editing my podcast or an audiobook, creative freelance projects, and writing. Most of all writing.
Many years ago, my best friend was deeply involved in her local Chamber of Commerce. Frequently, she needed to create things for them. She’s an excellent writer – but creating a press release would take her at least two hours.
A similar press release takes me 20 minutes. Recognizing that – she got me involved in the Chamber as their press liaison and writer.
Writing tends to come easily to me. Sure, it takes time to generate an article such as this one – but I also know that it takes me much less time than it would take others.
For a long time, I didn’t think this was anything special. But then, more and more, I came to see that I have a gift in my ability to write. Because I can write in multiple genres and various formats with relative ease, I’ve been striving to apply this to my work life and career more and more.
That’s why I have published six books in 2021. And as of this essay, I’ve written 278 articles for my blogs. Additionally, I’ve written blog posts and website content for others throughout the year, too.
I am deeply grateful that I can write like this. Even if my book sales and blog posts are still building – but not quite at – the income levels I desire to achieve – I am grateful.
Who am I grateful to?
This is a tough question. It’s also a sticking point when it comes to gratitude, expressing it, and the positivity inherent in it. Who ARE you expressing gratitude to?
There are a lot of choices. Some pick a deity, prophet, or similar figure – like God, Jesus, Buddha, etc. Others choose a much broader, less defined ideal like the Powers the Be, the Universe, source energy, etc.
Me? My gratitude splits between two places. The Powers that Be and the unseen energies that make up EVERYTHING – but also my subconscious self.
Somewhere deep inside myself, my values, beliefs, and habits exist. They are in the depths of my subconscious. And I believe that everyone has talents, abilities, skills, and the like rooted deep inside themselves. But not everyone recognizes or makes use of this for various reasons.
Thus, I am grateful that I can recognize this and employ it. I am deeply grateful that I’ve fostered this talent inside my subconscious mind, recognized it, and continue to develop it.
Is that self-serving and/or selfish? No. Because I am expressing gratitude for it – and as I wrote earlier, being grateful for something comes with built-in humility. I recognize that it’s borne of something greater than me – which is why I am grateful for it.
Arrogance and egotism lack gratitude and are borne of entitlement. That’s selfish and self-serving. And it’s disempowering rather than empowering – both for the person being arrogant/egotistical and those experiencing that from them.
Even if you can’t express who you are grateful to – gratitude empowers, is positive, and you are worthy and deserving both of expressing and receiving it.
Why am I writing about this today?
The holiday season is upon us. With it comes a very strong mix of joy and sorrow. For some, this is the best time of the year – but for others, it’s the worst.
In my experience, few people exist truly between these extremes this time of year.
More gratitude in the world empowers more people. At a time when many feel helpless, lacking, unworthy, and undeserving – being grateful for things tangible or intangible can make a tremendous difference.
Since being grateful is good for all – sharing gratitude is, too. Maybe I’ve not been one of Medium’s top earners or a best-selling author – but that doesn’t mean I am not grateful for my writing ability. Because I very much am.
Thanksgiving, here in the United States, should not be the only time to give thanks. Expressing gratitude as a daily practice makes for daily empowerment. And I know from my experience that when I feel grateful, I feel more positive. That is empowering.
When more people are empowered – they can take control over their conscious awareness and see the best in themselves. That, in turn, betters everyone and everything.
Finally – thank you for reading my words. Whether here, in one of my books, or somewhere else online – thank you. I am grateful not just that I have this writing ability – but that I can share it with the whole world in many ways.
I am sincerely grateful. Thank you!
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