MM#22--Gratitude works

I’m David and welcome back to another MOJO Minute.   

“Since the time of the ancient philosopher Seneca or before, 

having an overly high opinion of oneself has been seen as the chief obstacle of feeling and expressing gratitude. 

Research has shown that people who are ungrateful tend to have a sense of excessive self-importance,  arrogance, vanity and a high need for admiration and approval. 

At the more pathological end of the scale are narcissists, people who are profoundly self-absorbed and lack the empathy needed to enter deep satisfying mutually enhancing interpersonal relationships. 

At the more ordinary end of things are people who just feel entitled—too good grades, exemption from having to follow the rules and special treatment of all kinds.  

The entitlement attitude says "life owes me something" or “people owe me something” or I deserve this.”

In all its manifestations, a preoccupation with the self can cause us to forget our benefits and our benefactors or to feel that we are owed things from others and therefore have no reason to feel thankful."

That is a very long quote from a very good book entitled Gratitude Works by Robert Emmons.  

And boy did he nail it.

This dude is one of the foremost experts on understanding the science of how to boost our well-being.  

Yep, he’s been studying this stuff for the last three decades.   

So for all that, I’m supremely grateful for him and that he wrote a book.  This book in fact.   

Now I consider myself a grateful guy.   Reasonably grateful.   

..and I’m always trying to work on myself.   

You know, to Continue to walk along the journey that is increasing in virtue and decreasing in vice.

And one of those virtues is to increase is gratitude and from the ancient sages to all the contemporary research, we know that gratitude works.   

And we also know that the biggest obstacle to gratitude is entitlement or as the ancients of philosophy and religion called it---pride.   

That overwhelming feeling of entitlement is what prevents us our hearts from having a correct perspective of us and our situation.

Robert in his book give us the best remedy to this shortcoming.

The best remedy to entitlement is HUMILITY

Here’s Robert;

“ The more I contemplate the requirements for cultivating gratitude the more I am convinced of the necessity of humility. 

In gratitude and humility, we turn to realities outside of ourselves. 

We become aware of our limitations in our need to rely on others. 

In gratitude and humility we acknowledge the myth of self-sufficiency. 

We look upward and outward to the sources that sustain us. 

Becoming aware of our realities greater than ourselves shields us from the illusion of being self-made, being here on this planet by right—- expecting everything and owing nothing. 

The humble person says that life is a gift to be grateful for, not a right to be claimed. 

Humility ushers in a grateful response.”

That is sooooo goooodddd!

Life is a gift.

We are the creatures and not the creator.

Thats an important distinction.    And One we should ponder and contemplate —the rest of lives.

We are the creatures, not the creator.

So in todays MOJO minute, let us ask from the creator, the gift of humility, not taking for granted all the blessings, goodness, and amazing people in our lives.   The amazing country we live in and the amazing opportunities we have in front of us.  

That will be something to be truly grateful  even more so because we now know that Gratitude works!