Gratitude or Appreciation?
Today I changed this blog from “My Gratitude Blog” to “My Appreciation Blog”.
This may seem an insignificant change, but it happened because of an interesting distinction I heard the other day.
I was listening to a tape by a spiritual leader whose words resonate with me on several levels. The leader was talking about the difference between gratitude and appreciation.
Gratitude implies being grateful for “this” in comparison to “that”. Appreciation, on the other hand, is unconditional – it does not compare to anything else, and it expresses only in a positive direction.
When we compare, we continue to activate (look at, review, remember, focus on) whatever is the lesser or more negative or more undesirable comparison. When we think about the goodness or the thing that we are enjoying, without comparison, we are focused only in that positive direction.
And getting what we really want is always easier when we stop focusing on what we don’t want. Take it out of the equation totally, and look at what you are enjoying right now.
That’s my shift, and I’m sticking with it!!