Yes, through Observation and Gathering Data
The great thing about gratitude is that it doesn’t require us to believe in it as long as we experience it. You also do not have to be a grateful person in order to experience gratitude. Even if you are a realist, a scientist, a skeptic or a nihilist you can choose to see what is in front of you from different angles in order to understand it more thoroughly. All scientists do this. In fact, the foundation of the scientific method is observation, whether with our senses or with tools that help us to observe beyond our senses.
Observation is also the foundation of gratitude. We can not be grateful for something unless we notice it first. As science-minded people, we gather data on our observations. This is also an important step of a gratitude practice. We collect data on our gratitude every day.
But I just took a leap there. How do we get from observation to gratitude? So here you are observing the world and learning and asking questions. Is that work naturally fulfilling? Maybe it comes in the form of feeling a sense of purpose doing meaningful work. Maybe it comes from joy of noticing something you never noticed before. Or in the form of excitement:
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ but ‘That’s funny…’ Isaac Asimov
What do these moments feel like in your body? Do you feel a burst of energy? Do you spontaneously smile or laugh? Are you so immersed in your work that you don’t notice anything else which is fulfilling in and of itself? Do you feel grateful for what you just noticed?
These are the moments to collect data on for your gratitude practice. As you know, what we collect data on we pay more attention to. And what we pay more attention to we learn about. And once we know more about what makes us grateful we can do more of those things. The importance of knowing about ourselves can not be understated. I love how Jackson Pollock’s father explained it:
The secret of success is concentrating interest in life, interest in sports and good times, interest in your studies, interest in your fellow students, interest in the small things of nature, insects, birds, flowers, leaves, etc. In other words to be fully awake to everything about you & the more you learn the more you can appreciate & get a full measure of joy & happiness out of life.
What science and gratitude both teach us is we don’t have to make things up. We don’t have to get caught in a web of delusion. That’s not the way. All we have to do is take a genuine interest in the world around us, observing and maybe even appreciating it as it is today.
Take to the internet on Wednesday, February 11th armed with your personal gratitude and the #1000gratitudes hashtag and you can join us as we collectively post 1000 gratitudes. This year’s event will not only take place online but will also include a gratitude party from 4-9pm in Albuquerque.
JOIN US! MORE INFORMATION
[su_quote cite=”Carl Sagan”]For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.[/su_quote]
This Week’s Gratitude Question
[su_button url=”http://www.ourgratitudecollective.com/activity/” background=”#178fb3″]What are you grateful to have learned through observation?[/su_button]
My Gratitude Experience Last Week
A little after midnight on Friday night I went to the website to post my gratitude and found that the website was down. I immediately got on the phone with support (I am grateful for 24 hour technical support!) and found that the website had been hacked and I had to do a bunch of work to get it back up. All this while exhausted and needing to get up early in the morning. I was filled with worry, would I lose all that we have built on the site? I jumped into action and as the stress and worry built I stopped. I needed to post my gratitude. So I took a break and went on to facebook to post. It felt great and was such a nice way to center myself before returning to stressful work. I was happy to find I wasn’t as stressed and worried this time around. Gratitude to the rescue!
Forgotten Gratitude
Last week I was also grateful for spotting the red-breasted robin digging in the front yard … The opportunity to briefly participate in a health fair and make some new connections … A great idea for a new bracelet design.
A New eCard
The Gratitude I Shared Last Week
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| Sun | 1/25/2015 | I’m grateful for the little push I needed to get some no-brainer work done on a Sunday night after a plenty-restful weekend … I’m grateful for being able to fix our sweet little oft-destroyed dreamcatcher … I am loving hyphens right now and I appreciate language fun … I’m grateful for breakfast this morning delivered to me when I was in so much need of sustenance. |
| Sat | 1/24/2015 | I’m grateful for a chalkboard delivered to my door with a big smile and perfect timing … Not having sinus pressure today … The briefest nap, falling asleep while reading, alone in the quiet house … Technical support and time. |
| Fri | 1/23/2015 | I’m grateful for patience and calm right now and backups … I’m grateful for a successful dinner, yeay we hosted … I’m grateful for great music on vinyl … I’m grateful for chalkboard project connections, wow what a small interconnected world … I’m grateful for unexpected support by way of craigslist … Oh and getting my car back! |
| Thu | 1/22/2015 | Proud gift-giving, healthy food eating, connecting with friends … Releasing beliefs that don’t work for me … My kindreds in business and finding out how I’ve helped one of them … Sweet little Alma, beading, music listening, living room dancing … The biggest richest most decadent treat, hot chocolate from Joliesse, joyfully partaking and not giving a fuck about the fat and sugar … Not getting completely stuck in the mud/ditch being able to skillfully and slowly back out … And finally a spotless tub and so many layers of grime in the house now gone. These are a few of my grateful things. |
| Wed | 1/21/2015 | I’m grateful for snowflakes briefly falling on my warm skin while not falling on my glasses … I’m grateful for connecting with women, listening, sharing, laughing, smiling … I’m grateful for finding a great pair of jeans in record time … I’m grateful for witnessing a sweet moment of human connection in line at the grocery store and then when mentioning it being gifted one of the items I was happy to purchase. |
| Tue | 1/20/2015 | I’m grateful for a delicious coconut milk latte while I worked on my bookkeeping … I’m grateful for a port-a-potty when I needed one, definitely not ideal but serious gratitude no matter what … A cancelled appointment and being able to go at my own pace when my body needed it … And right now in this very moment I am grateful for stillness, comfort, peace and my comfy bed awaiting me. |
| Mon | 1/19/2015 | Earlier I was delighted to remember something I was grateful for on Saturday, and just in time to share it in the Monday Inspiring Gratitude issue … I’m grateful to be able to close myself off in a warm room while I aired out the house after burning something in the oven … I’m grateful for morning meditation … Relaxing my body and it responding after I was experiencing some frustration with it not “working” like it normally does, which reminds me how grateful I am that so much of my body functions so well almost all the time … So thankful that I can see the doctor I like again instead of going to the clinic I went to last time. |
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My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it!
A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide.
My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can to. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336.
Created by Antonia Montoya[/su_note]