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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Might life be better if we pursued something other than happiness?
We live in a world that oversells happiness to us, with unending promises and unendingly glamorized products. And we have minds that are programmed with [...]
Feeling God or trusting God?
During our life, there will be times when we are down, yet we feel God's presence guiding, strengthening and uplifting us. However, there will also [...]
Facing losses but not feeling lost — the reorienting power of gratitude
Suppose we are driving through a remote area guided by GPS and suddenly the GPS connectivity gets lost due to a heavy storm. Not knowing [...]
From gifts in life to the gift of life
When striving to cultivate gratitude, we often attempt to look at the things that are good in our life and see those things as gifts. [...]
Is gratitude a state or a trait?
Gratitude can be both, and it is best when manifested as both. Let’s see how. State: Gratitude as a state refers to the emotions of [...]
What made us the way we are?
We tend to ascribe to God our life’s starting conditions — our complexion, our birth family and our default disposition. Justifying such an ascription, we [...]
How can we situate ourselves in our spiritual identity?
Suppose we are in an ocean characterized by huge waves. How can we protect ourselves from being swept away by those waves? By having an [...]
Elevating our self-image
Our self-image, our conception of who we are, is usually generated by others’ opinions of us, especially those opinions that we accept uncritically. Why do [...]
How to deal with our emotions
We all are prone to be swept away by our emotions, thereby acting self-destructively. How can we protect ourselves from this danger? Some people try [...]
The difference between doubts and questions
After hearing a spiritual talk, interested members of the audience sometimes respond by saying: “I have a doubt.” However, what they usually have is a [...]