Bound by a quest for freedom, my heart is ever so trepid, aligning with the serendipities and harmonies of an unpredictable cosmos. I keep moving leashing on to every win and detaching at every loss. It’s the intensification of the cosmos, pervading luck and risk in unprecedented ramifications. With an autopilot mind, this cosmos is enraging, every bit rarely serene, and quite heartless. Streaming through this cosmos, the conscious mind gets jumbled upon, lavishing at every sight, mindlessly moving throughout the day. A repeated cycle the cosmos permits us, holding us to the edge of our seats as we inevitably crave clarity and certainty from our pasts and present. Luckily, the cosmos may be able to cloud us with several thought progressions, clogging our neural pathways, but in all fashions, one word saves us. It’s so simple to say but is hard to embrace and express. Some people forget that it’s a precursor to experiencing real-time consciousness and high-level thinking. It’s only 9 letters, yet most never even recognize this term: GRATITUDE. Crazy, right? If you were like me two years ago, you may ponder and meditate on the validity of this term. Rightfully so, one earns the right to be skeptical of all things. However, in this case, the protagonist is that term. Embracing this term as an act and art will elevate Mindful Wellness and foster Mental Clarity.
Ingratitude is the deadliest of all sins. In a literal sense, ingratitude is not just a sin to the Supreme Being but a sin to yourself. It’s a failure to recognize the privileges you so rightly have at this very moment – LIFE. Are you aware that one of us dies every 10 seconds, per Census Gov. Population Clock? Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are you aware that there are 1043.8 deaths per 100,000 population as of 2021? Are you aware that as per the HD Pulse Data Portal, there are 985.6 deaths per 100,000 people in Mississippi? Doesn’t it ever occur to you that you could be one of those ~985 people? Doesn’t it ever occur to you that you could be that one person gone in 10 seconds? However, we are suffering from a silent disease: Entitlement. This is one keeping us unaware of the privileges we so rightly have. It’s insane that we do not realize how lucky we are to have the breath of life, to be able to walk, to be able to see, to be able to hear or to be able to speak. The above statistics are not to scare anyone but to remind us of how precious the oasis of life resides within your bright soul. Gratitude makes it shine better.
From Excessive Debt to Inflation to Exorbitant Housing, indeed, one may argue the difficulties of expressing this gratitude in these very harsh times. However, Life isn’t supposed to be easy, and if it was, it wouldn’t be worth living. A part of Gratitude is realizing that we must focus on what we can control. Focusing on things outside of our locus of control creates a negative ripple effect across all aspects of our lives, sending us down the path of Entitlement and Ingratitude. Gratitude keeps us abreast of what is in our locus of control. By embracing gratitude and taking control over what is in our locus of control, we create a positive ripple effect across our lives. In humble gratitude and smart work, adversity comes in close proximity to prosperity.
According to Dan Koe, “Happy People are obsessed with their Mental Clarity.” Gratitude is the most hitch-free precursor for this clarity. How can one practice Gratitude? It’s simple. Write. The harmony that Writing induces in your mind is insane. Writing helps you to coordinate your thoughts and organize them. The greatest thing the human mind craves is clarity, and Writing provides the thing to clarity for our phenomenal brain. Through Writing, Our soul undergoes subtle cleansing, pouring our hidden emotions and laying them bare before our eyes. It’s a unique form of therapy that unleashes the purest and most serene soul in us. It’s not a college paper and doesn’t have to be 500 words. Start with as simple as a line of text: “I hate the way she made me feel. I need to put myself back on track…” or “I feel drowned. Let me head out and see around, probably hit the Gym or something…” or you could take my style: “…thank you!” It doesn’t have to be overly formatted; it just has to be an authentic downpour of thoughts onto a sheet of paper or our Notepad. The huge key is relieving yourself of huge burdens shackling your consciousness. The more writing you do, the more clarity you gain. The more clarity you gain, the more gratitude you embrace, and the happier you will be.
A stark portion of embracing gratitude also comes from internalizing our emotions and taking in the world around us. It involves developing a Growth Mindset. Less Externalization of Emotions and More Introspection of Emotions is the antidote to Entitlement and Despair. Gratitude allows us to look within by allowing us to see the beauty of life in full fledge. By embracing the internal locus of control (what we can control) and paying close attention to the lives and happenings around us – the serenity of the gushing winds; the beautiful skies; the blazing cars; and the surreal sunset – Gratitude is easier to embrace. By cutting off time on social media as well as living in the present and interacting with real people, we can see life for what it is. Self-introspection is not only a great way to embrace Gratitude but also a great way to live.
Gratitude is a quiet power that brings us very close to that Mental Clarity. Privilege is invisible to those who have it. Gratitude keeps us cognizant of our privileges. Make it a propensity to observe gratitude even in adversity. Again, in humble gratitude and smart work, prosperity subtly claims proximity to adversity. Be grateful for the breath of life. Remember that one of us goes every 10 seconds. No matter how tough it gets, there’s always something to be grateful for. We Rise By Lifting Others.
