WEBVTT 00:00:22.190 --> 00:00:25.969 Good morning, everybody. It is 7 a .m. and this 00:00:25.969 --> 00:00:28.030 is Food for Thought, Thoughts If It Were You 00:00:28.030 --> 00:00:32.130 by Neogentrics. The last topic I covered was contentment, 00:00:32.149 --> 00:00:34.090 but I couldn't just leave it at that. After having 00:00:34.090 --> 00:00:36.469 covered that topic, I figured I'd go ahead and 00:00:36.469 --> 00:00:40.789 cover gratefulness, I'm sorry, gratitude and 00:00:40.789 --> 00:00:45.950 thankfulness. And to put it simply, to even be 00:00:45.950 --> 00:00:49.590 content, you first have to be grateful and thankful 00:00:49.590 --> 00:00:54.579 for what you have. So first off, let's cover 00:00:54.579 --> 00:00:56.560 the difference between the two of them, okay? 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:59.240 Thankfulness and gratitude are two words that, 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:01.820 you know, we often use to express the benefits 00:01:01.820 --> 00:01:05.939 we receive in life, okay? However, most people 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:08.299 do not understand the difference between the 00:01:08.299 --> 00:01:10.239 two. So what I'm going to do here is I'm going 00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:14.019 to explain the difference between the two, all 00:01:14.019 --> 00:01:18.790 right? First off, to put it simple, gratitude 00:01:18.790 --> 00:01:21.989 means you are grateful and you can show it in 00:01:21.989 --> 00:01:24.769 many ways, including reciprocating help, you 00:01:24.769 --> 00:01:27.430 know, like cooking a dinner, helping someone 00:01:27.430 --> 00:01:31.129 without expecting a return of favor or buy someone 00:01:31.129 --> 00:01:34.230 a meal by helping strangers. OK, gratitude can 00:01:34.230 --> 00:01:38.150 be a way of life for some people. I'm one of 00:01:38.150 --> 00:01:41.430 those people. On the other hand, thankfulness 00:01:41.430 --> 00:01:44.170 often means nothing more than saying the words 00:01:44.170 --> 00:01:47.159 thank you. Okay, saying thank you is a good act. 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:50.980 However, this action often happens after the 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:53.659 person receives the benefits and it's more like 00:01:53.659 --> 00:01:57.200 an automatic response. Or at least it should 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.760 be for most people. They just take it and then 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:02.819 walk on their merry way without saying a damn 00:02:02.819 --> 00:02:07.480 thing. Okay, like I said, we're going to cover 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:10.699 the difference between the two of these. And 00:02:10.699 --> 00:02:14.139 I'm going to be as clear as I can. So first off. 00:02:15.750 --> 00:02:18.509 We're going to take a short break. Give me a 00:02:18.509 --> 00:02:21.030 second to think. And then we're going to cover 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:33.729 what each one is first. All right, everybody. 00:02:33.870 --> 00:02:36.750 Welcome back. Let's go ahead and cover what thankfulness 00:02:36.750 --> 00:02:39.729 is. Merriam -Webster's Dictionary, however, defines 00:02:39.729 --> 00:02:44.419 it as... Conscious of benefits received. It is 00:02:44.419 --> 00:02:47.479 a conscious act from a person who receives the 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:50.879 benefits. I couldn't ask for a better description 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:52.960 of the definition of the word thankfulness than 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:56.960 that. It can be an automatic response most of 00:02:56.960 --> 00:02:59.199 the time, just like a habit. You automatically 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:01.879 say thank you to the people who have helped you 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:05.479 when you needed it. For example, you express 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:08.360 your appreciation for someone who opens the door 00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:10.800 for you by saying the words, thank you. And often, 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:14.800 this is to show your appreciation for the person's 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:18.379 act. Usually, thankfulness happens in an instant. 00:03:19.020 --> 00:03:21.800 You say thank you right after someone helps you 00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:24.879 with something. It's more like a polite behavior 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:33.710 to show that you express your appreciation. thankful 00:03:33.710 --> 00:03:37.710 rather than grateful the act of thankfulness 00:03:37.710 --> 00:03:41.270 usually lasts for only a short moment you'll 00:03:41.270 --> 00:03:43.370 never remember the guy who opened the door for 00:03:43.370 --> 00:03:47.629 you ten years ago it is easy to express thankfulness 00:03:47.629 --> 00:03:50.569 you can go out to your local shopping mall and 00:03:50.569 --> 00:03:53.550 say something nice or say thank you to the sales 00:03:53.550 --> 00:03:56.270 girl for her time and explaining the service 00:03:56.270 --> 00:04:00.710 or product but honestly You won't even remember 00:04:00.710 --> 00:04:02.550 that person as soon as you leave there a week 00:04:02.550 --> 00:04:07.750 or two from now. Thankfulness is a social norm 00:04:07.750 --> 00:04:10.789 applicable in general situations, while gratitude 00:04:10.789 --> 00:04:13.789 is the special magnification of spirituality, 00:04:14.169 --> 00:04:18.870 love, and affection. Grateful is a feeling while 00:04:18.870 --> 00:04:22.050 thankful is an act. When someone does something 00:04:22.050 --> 00:04:26.009 good for you, or to you for that matter, you 00:04:26.009 --> 00:04:28.720 feel grateful for him. and you offer your thanks 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:32.120 to him as an action. Thankfulness often happens 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:35.500 at the surface. Whenever you express your thanks 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:38.279 to someone, it will be merely just an act of 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:40.819 expressing your appreciation toward him or her, 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:44.939 nothing else, nothing more, nothing less. Thankfulness 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:48.180 is often associated with either words or gestures. 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:51.540 of appreciation usually it happens as a reaction 00:04:51.540 --> 00:04:55.019 from someone's action it can never occur at random 00:04:55.019 --> 00:05:00.360 moments when you are idly idling or just taking 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:03.480 a shower in the bathroom honestly i don't know 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:07.379 anyone who would um and if you're being thankful 00:05:07.379 --> 00:05:11.100 while taking a shower uh to somebody else that's 00:05:11.100 --> 00:05:14.339 great but as long as you're not talking to them 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:18.160 While you're in the shower, it's not gonna be 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:23.439 awkward. I assure you Okay, next we're gonna 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:32.060 talk about what gratitude is Next what is gratitude? 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:36.139 Merriam Webster's dictionary defines thankful 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:41.740 Gratitudeness or being grateful as appreciative 00:05:41.740 --> 00:05:45.500 of benefits received It is a way of expressing 00:05:45.500 --> 00:05:49.879 appreciation with or without an act. Gratitude 00:05:49.879 --> 00:05:52.500 is more like having a sense of thankfulness and 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:56.019 the feeling is from within. You feel grateful 00:05:56.019 --> 00:05:58.759 not only for the people you appreciate, but also 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:02.180 things that you feel has been of great help to 00:06:02.180 --> 00:06:06.100 you in your life. For example, you can express 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:09.500 your gratitude towards your car because it has 00:06:09.500 --> 00:06:13.540 been with you for more than a decade. you know, 00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:16.339 has been through many ups and downs with you. 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:21.120 At the same time, you can express your gratefulness 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:23.620 towards other people as well. Just like you can 00:06:23.620 --> 00:06:26.360 feel grateful for your mother who has constantly 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:30.000 guided, supported you and gave you valuable advice 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:33.779 from time to time. Or at least I would hope you 00:06:33.779 --> 00:06:39.500 do. Talking to the guys out there. Grateful is 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:42.470 a sense of feeling that happens. at a deeper 00:06:42.470 --> 00:06:45.269 level that comes from within your heart. The 00:06:45.269 --> 00:06:47.589 act of gratefulness is memorable and can live 00:06:47.589 --> 00:06:50.930 for a long time. When you feel grateful towards 00:06:50.930 --> 00:06:53.329 someone, you can feel the sense of appreciation 00:06:53.329 --> 00:06:56.670 to that person even after many, many years later, 00:06:56.769 --> 00:07:00.110 even if you haven't seen them for a while. Gratitude 00:07:00.110 --> 00:07:03.170 is the sense of being and can be a way of life 00:07:03.170 --> 00:07:05.910 for some people. It's the manifestation of love, 00:07:06.069 --> 00:07:08.949 commitment, and devotion towards those who are 00:07:08.949 --> 00:07:14.519 meaningful to you. It encompasses, there's a 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:18.360 word, shared experiences, love, and understanding 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:20.600 that the universe has conspired to connect us 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:24.000 together. For instance, thankfulness is often 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:27.120 the first step. It can grow deeper and become 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:30.240 gratefulness. Gratefulness starts from the mind. 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:33.519 You have to believe that people and things are 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.459 helping and doing good to you to feel appreciated. 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:39.089 When you feel grateful for something, You can 00:07:39.089 --> 00:07:41.470 express your feeling without even using words 00:07:41.470 --> 00:07:44.370 or any physical sign. It could be just from within. 00:07:44.649 --> 00:07:47.089 You know, people can usually tell if you're being 00:07:47.089 --> 00:07:50.110 grateful or not by your actions without you having 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:54.389 to say a word. Like your grandma making you a 00:07:54.389 --> 00:07:57.949 nice sweater. Your sign of being grateful is 00:07:57.949 --> 00:07:59.750 the fact that you even wear the sweater even 00:07:59.750 --> 00:08:04.569 if it's ugly as hell. You don't have to say anything 00:08:04.569 --> 00:08:07.699 to her. Just her seeing you wear it. lets her 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:11.579 know that you're grateful. Being grateful can 00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:13.680 grow beyond the act of thankfulness. You are 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:15.800 willing to sacrifice and do something special 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:18.120 even without someone requiring you to do it. 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:20.620 The feeling is usually stemmed from the willingness 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:23.459 from within you. Gratefulness can come at a random 00:08:23.459 --> 00:08:28.040 moment, out of sudden. You can feel your own 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:30.720 financial blessings and pay for a stranger's 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:35.919 meal. Just because you were blessed doesn't mean 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:38.360 you can't bless other people. It doesn't matter 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:42.220 if they give you anything back. Or maybe it suddenly 00:08:42.220 --> 00:08:44.639 hits you to remind your loved ones how important 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:48.700 they are to you. Thank your mom and dad for being 00:08:48.700 --> 00:08:50.899 there even in the tough times. Even if they weren't 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:52.860 able to help you too much, at least they still 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:57.580 stood there with you. I've known people who have 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:00.700 parents that yelled at them all the time when 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:03.139 they were younger. but you know what they never 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:06.299 left him they stayed with him no matter what 00:09:06.299 --> 00:09:08.820 they still yell at him even now in the future 00:09:08.820 --> 00:09:10.600 but they'll stand with them and if something 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:13.080 should go wrong they're the first people he would 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:14.980 call because they would be the first ones there 00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:17.519 granted they would probably still chew him out 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:20.340 for whatever the reason was but they would help 00:09:20.340 --> 00:09:34.179 him because they're parents and they care Let's 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:36.440 go ahead and finish this topic off on gratefulness 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:39.320 and thankfulness. Let's finish off by talking 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:43.100 about how to be that. The way to live an enriching 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:46.320 and fulfilling life is to live with gratefulness. 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:51.299 The key is to keep gratitude at the forefront 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:54.039 of your life. When you focus your mind on how 00:09:54.039 --> 00:09:56.460 privileged you are, it makes it easy for you 00:09:56.460 --> 00:10:00.350 to want to bless and help other people. And express 00:10:00.350 --> 00:10:02.629 your deep sense of appreciation towards other 00:10:02.629 --> 00:10:06.789 things. Being thankful is great and being grateful 00:10:06.789 --> 00:10:10.350 is even better. You want to live a life with 00:10:10.350 --> 00:10:13.850 feeling. That you are always blessed with the 00:10:13.850 --> 00:10:16.889 people and things around you. And you can only 00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:20.110 achieve this state of being through being grateful. 00:10:21.049 --> 00:10:24.909 One powerful way to bring the sense of gratefulness 00:10:24.909 --> 00:10:27.629 into your life is by writing your gratitude list. 00:10:28.400 --> 00:10:30.899 Each morning, before you get to work or go to 00:10:30.899 --> 00:10:33.419 school or what have you, write down a list of 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:35.879 things that you feel ungrateful for. It can be 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:38.320 your car, your spouse, your girlfriend, your 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:41.980 mom, your dad, your brother, your cousin, your 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:44.179 computer, your house, your dog, your kitchen, 00:10:44.220 --> 00:10:46.080 or even the food on the table or the money in 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:48.139 your bank account. It doesn't matter. You know, 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:51.320 the list goes on. Though I feel like I've named 00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:53.179 a pretty good sum of everything right there. 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:55.940 Just make a list of things that you want to be 00:10:55.940 --> 00:10:58.879 grateful for and actually feel the emotion. You 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.519 know, feel the gratefulness within you and express 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:03.860 it through your writing. This will train you 00:11:03.860 --> 00:11:06.159 to become a grateful person who is always blessed 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:08.720 with gratefulness and opportunity. You know, 00:11:08.759 --> 00:11:10.940 I'm grateful for my parents being there with 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:12.860 me when I was younger because I could have been 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:16.580 dead. The car accident that happened years ago 00:11:16.580 --> 00:11:18.679 back when I was two years old, I had nothing 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:20.860 to do with it. I was just a bystander in the 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:23.590 whole incident whatsoever. I should have been 00:11:23.590 --> 00:11:27.490 dead. But because I had a praying set of parents, 00:11:27.529 --> 00:11:30.029 parents who believed in our Father in Heaven, 00:11:30.090 --> 00:11:33.490 they wouldn't give up on me. And then on top 00:11:33.490 --> 00:11:35.649 of that, despite everything that happened and, 00:11:35.690 --> 00:11:38.289 you know, me recovering, but then finding a tumor 00:11:38.289 --> 00:11:40.970 in my brain and having to remove it. You know, 00:11:40.990 --> 00:11:42.950 everything I learned up until the age of three 00:11:42.950 --> 00:11:45.850 was gone. And I lost use of my left hand almost 00:11:45.850 --> 00:11:49.659 completely. Had they not been there to help train 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:52.019 me back up from the ground up at the age of three, 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:55.080 and standing by with me even after the school 00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:57.539 system didn't want to teach me, trying to label 00:11:57.539 --> 00:12:00.240 me as special needs, I wouldn't be here talking 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:04.279 to you even doing this recording. So, without 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:07.159 me even telling my parents, but them knowing 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:08.860 that I'm still in school and I'm willing to move 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:11.539 forward to the best of my ability to help them 00:12:11.539 --> 00:12:16.519 out, they know that I'm grateful. I don't have 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:19.889 to tell them. But I'm here to tell you that I'm 00:12:19.889 --> 00:12:22.289 grateful for them. Because had I not been, I 00:12:22.289 --> 00:12:26.269 wouldn't be able to even do this podcast. So 00:12:26.269 --> 00:12:29.169 with that, I thank you for listening to this. 00:12:29.470 --> 00:12:31.830 Or any of my other podcasts, for that matter. 00:12:31.990 --> 00:12:34.610 And I pray that you continue to listen and help 00:12:34.610 --> 00:12:36.710 support me as I go on through these ventures. 00:12:37.509 --> 00:12:41.549 Again, this has been Thoughts for You. Food for 00:12:41.549 --> 00:12:44.269 Thought, Neogentrix is the author. That would 00:12:44.269 --> 00:12:47.850 be me. This is the Moral Series, and the topic 00:12:47.850 --> 00:12:50.990 of today was gratefulness and thankfulness. Enjoy 00:12:50.990 --> 00:12:51.909 the rest of your day.