Two kinds of contentment — and how they are opposite
The sentiment of contentment is sometimes seen negatively. Some people think of it as the symptom of laziness and the cause of stagnation — they [...]
Why self-discipline is essential nowadays …
Our society offers us many avenues for self-destruction. Multiple technological developments have made the exercise of individual freedom much easier. Unfortunately, they have also made [...]
Feeling mad — when it’s ok and when it isn’t
Feeling mad in terms of feeling angry is a natural human emotion that arises when we see things around us going wrong or being done [...]
Forcing ourselves to be grateful?
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is primarily an internal endeavor, wherein we try to change the default direction of our thoughts. Still, such cultivation can [...]
See discipline as a fight for freedom
If someone were to externally impose restraints on us, preventing us from doing something that is important to us, we would vigorously fight to regain [...]
Grateful for our weaknesses?
When we strive to cultivate gratitude, one of the most disheartening pitfalls on our path may be our struggles with our weaknesses, especially if those [...]
Gratitude for the past
If we want to cultivate gratitude, we need to review not just the way we look at our present, but also the way we look [...]
Revising what we feel grateful for
When we decide to prioritize the cultivation of gratitude after understanding its importance, we may still run into a significant roadblock. That roadblock may center [...]
Greedy to be grateful
We all have certain impurities within us that sabotage our attempts to live more holistically and wholesomely. One such inner impurity is greed, which fixates [...]
Grab opportunities to express gratitude
Most of us understand the importance of expressing thanks to those who have helped us. And in the long journey of life, there are many [...]
How to be grateful when things don’t go our way?
When things go our way, it's relatively easy to feel grateful. But when things don't go our way, not only is it difficult to feel [...]
Gratitude demanded is gratitude diminished
Many virtues, like gratitude, are difficult to cultivate and easy to lose. One counterintuitive way we may lose gratitude is by our overzealousness in insisting [...]
Outer thanks inner greed — how gratitude may be subverted
When we strive to practice a virtue like gratitude, it is very easy to make it into a ritual that is done externally without [...]
The pillow of gratitude
Even when we understand that gratitude is beneficial for our well-being, feeling grateful constantly throughout the day is not easy, given how demanding and [...]
Gratefully ambitious
While most people acknowledge the importance and even the necessity of gratitude for a happy life, some people fear that if they are grateful for [...]
The healing power of gratitude
When we lose a loved one, for example, or when we experience rejection in an important relationship, the catastrophic severity of the wound to our [...]
Learning the language of gratitude
For two people to connect effectively, they need to learn a common language and be on speaking terms. A similar dynamic applies to our mind’s [...]
Two obstacles to gratitude
When we try to cultivate gratitude, we may encounter various obstacles, with greed seeming to be the most evident candidate. The focus of gratitude and [...]
Two connections between gratitude and mental health
Nowadays, there are increasing concerns about mental health. More and more people find themselves feeling internally slowed, stymied, or even sabotaged by their own emotions, [...]
Gratitude for the ordinary
During our life, whenever we receive something special — for example, getting an unexpected job promotion or winning the lottery — we feel overjoyed. And [...]
No to incite yes to insight
The world contains many power-hungry people who ruthlessly pursue their selfish, even devilish, agendas. To serve their own ends, they have no compunctions about manipulating [...]