Gratitude is Better Experienced!

By now, you’ve probably heard someone touting the benefits of gratitude. It’s quite possible you’ve had someone say, “You should be grateful.”

I cringe when I hear those words.

The phrase sounds like it's said in a scornful tone to make you feel ashamed, by someone with half-moon glasses at the end of their nose, looking at you disapprovingly.

I don’t know about you — but 'shoulding' people into gratitude is neither enticing nor inviting. 

Telling someone, "You should be grateful" feels like a setup for failure. One that will be accompanied by guilt and shame — and probably some time in detention for not doing it right.

A Real-Life Conversation

Recently, I was in a first-time conversation with some people I had just met. They asked me about my work in gratitude and the services I could offer them and their company.

I paused. 

Thanked them for the question and said I’d love to answer. 

But first,

Will you share your personal experience with gratitude?

That question opened a floodgate in the conversation. 

Both of them shared rich and robust experiences they had with gratitude. 

I watched them come alive with excitement and enthusiasm as they described their gratitude journeys and the difference it made. 

What they shared was rich and meaningful. Best of all, it was personal. 

More Than a Theory

They were not describing a theoretical construct, a philosophical concept, or an academic understanding. 

They described a transformational experience. 

A journey.

It was personal. It was transformational. 

Gratitude was something they had experienced. Not just something they extolled as virtuous. 

With that backdrop in the conversation, I then responded to their question by opening with a single, simple statement.

Gratitude experienced is better than gratitude explained!

Gratitude is a philosophical concept. 

It is a theoretical construct. One that has been scientifically studied, researched, and validated.

There are countless articles, studies, and lectures exploring the science of gratitude and the neuroscience involved in gratitude. 

I'm grateful for the wealth of research about the positive effects of gratitude on your brain and body. It's enlightening to learn about how expressing gratitude can benefit us.

Please ensure you caught this crucial point - the benefits of expressing gratitude — not just embracing it as a should.

You can understand gratitude — you can study it, research it, and have a robust technical knowledge of how gratitude works. You know what chemicals are released by your brain and flow through your body when gratitude is expressed.

But unless you experience and express gratitude personally — that knowledge exists only as information.

It’s the experience of gratitude that leads to transformation.

And…

You don't need to know how gratitude affects your brain and body to experience its benefits.

It is helpful.

While it's helpful to know the impact that gratitude has on your brain and body, it's not necessary to understand it in order to experience it.

It’s the experience of gratitude that changes us… not the understanding of it.

Gratitude as a GameChanger

Gratitude is an emotion. One that, at least at times, transcends language and possibly even surpasses our ability to intellectual understand or articulate it. 

Gratitude can only be truly understood through personal experience, or what I prefer to call an encounter. Simply speaking about its importance is not enough.

It is in those moments of genuine gratitude that we connect with the world on a deeper level. We open ourselves up to and align with the transformative power of appreciation.

Somehow, early in my journey of sharing gratitude with others, I had an epiphany. What if we created environments and opportunities where we invite and allow people to explore, express, and experience gratitude?

It’s the personal experience — your personal experience when transformation happens.

Gratitude is a GameChanger… when you explore, express, and experience it. 

Gratitude is an active state — not a passive activity.

My invitation to you is for you to experience gratitude…to have a personal encounter with the Power of Gratitude. It’s the personal experience that is truly the GameChanger. 

Tell us about your personal experience with gratitude.