Thankfulness vs. Gratitude

With it being Thanksgiving Day, it feels cliché to be talking about gratitude.  Yet, here I am talking about.  What I’ve been actively working on recently is trying to ensure I differentiate “thankfulness” and “gratitude.”  Here’s a quote I really respond to:

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”

– Henri Frederic Amiel

Since my launching my therapeutic consulting practice full time, I have expressed thankfulness towards those who have recommended me to families.  Without you, I would still be scrambling to identify as an entrepreneur.  In this quote though, I resonate with the line about gratitude being the completion of thankfulness.  That is where I realize I have dropped the ball.  I said “thank you” until I was blue in the face for being added to a list of Consultants recommended to families, and clearly that was not a complete act of expressing my gratitude.  My thankfulness consisted merely of words, and yet my heart expressed so much more.  For those of you far away, I realize you may not have seen or felt the full acts of gratitude.  I want to remedy that.

Aside from my practice, there is so much research out there identifying ways to live a happier and healthier life.  Something as simple as identifying five things your grateful for daily will make a person better off.  It’s in the act of writing down those things you’re grateful for that you take it from being a verbal thanking process, to an act of gratitude.  When you put it down on paper, may it then also go out into the universe.

For today and every day I am grateful for my family and friend, my health, my professional drive and the community I am linked up with in this industry, my dog, and my wanderlust.  I am actively putting it out there into the world that I want to go beyond just words of thankfulness and transform them into acts of gratitude.  Prepare to see some change.

Be well on this day, and every day.  Remember to express gratitude and thankfulness for yourself, and for those around you.  You’ll be surprised by how happier you may be.

For questions or comments contact Joanna.