Flipping the Lens: The Power of Gratitude

Gratitude has an incredible effect on much more of our daily life that most people realize. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, for example, found that gratitude increased athletes’ self-esteem, an essential component to optimal performance. Other studies have shown that gratitude reduces social comparisons. Rather than becoming resentful toward people who have more money or better jobs—a major factor in reduced self-esteem—grateful people are able to appreciate other people’s accomplishments (Source). Robert Emmons, a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.

Knowing the benefits derived from a mindset of gratitude, it’s important to take a step back and consider...why. Why is the simple act of “thanking” so powerful?

In a nutshell, giving thanks invites us to look outside of ourselves. 

In the late 70s, author Henry Nouwen predicted the people of tomorrow (that’s us today!) would become inward, fatherless and convulsive in his book Wounded Healer. Yikes! That sounds like a pretty harsh view of a future generation. And yet, was there something to it? Nouwen noticed how people’s tendency to find meaning in social and civic engagement has turned inward towards engagement with the self. 

When we only look inside ourselves to find meaning and peace, it’s easy to drift towards a more individualistic and narcissistic attitude toward life. From there, it’s easier to prioritize our own cravings and desires all while disengaging from healthy avenues of social and civic engagement.  When we focus on what we don’t have or think we are owed something we can only focus on ourselves. My wants, my perceived needs my desires. Giving thanks becomes increasingly challenging when our hearts and minds are turned towards the self.

Fortunately, there’s still hope. A simple flip of the lens and a keen focus outward allows us to acknowledge the external forces acting in our lives and recognize how they have brought goodness and peace in our own lives. 

What we come to realize is many of the blessings had nothing to do with us but somebody or something beyond ourselves. Who was it that sent you that kind note when you were grieving?  Someone who has looked for meaning in himself alone will soon find that a season of Thanksgiving is a great challenge; because to give thanks we need the ability to see others.

We need a season of Thanksgiving because it invites us to acknowledge the social and civic blessings in our lives. Imagine how transformed we could be if giving thanks was incorporated into our personal psyche year-round. 

Let’s take it one step further: If an attitude of thanksgiving can transform us as individuals, imagine how much giving thanks could also radically shape our communities. What is private always manifests itself as public. Meaning, if our inner reality is that of thanksgiving it will manifest itself in our public-facing lives, organically making its way into the social and civic fabric of our communities. Conversely, imagine a community comprised only of individuals focused on themselves; it would be exactly the one Nowen predicted over 40 years ago. 

This season, I want to challenge you not only to enjoy a time of Thanksgiving with your friends and family but to find ways to make giving thanks to be part of who you are. It will transform you and the world!