What exactly is gratitude?
Is it something different from saying "thank you", or is "thank you" a component of gratitude?
As you will discover as you read this guide, a simple "thank you" can have a powerful impact on both the person communicating your gratitude and the person receiving it. This is especially true when the genuine emotion of gratitude underpins the word. The question is, then, what exactly is gratitude?
The Roman philosopher Cicero described gratitude as the greatest of virtues and the mother of all others. It is the key that opens all doors and is the quality that makes and keeps us young. This statement, uttered more than two thousand years ago, is quite compelling. It speaks of gratitude as a virtue or quality of being.
Gratitude is this and much more. Gratitude is also an emotion. It is something we feel deep in our hearts. We can feel it towards others, when people are grateful to us, or when we see one person express gratitude towards another.
As a feeling or as an exchange between people, gratitude is simple. And yet, in trying to understand this simplicity, we can find a more complex meaning. Gratitude is an emotion, it is an experience, and it is a conscious choice of awareness. Connections in your relationships are strengthened and fostered by gratitude. At its core, gratitude holds an experience of universal belonging. We can experience a true sense of overall well-being when we practice the intentional cultivation of gratitude in our lives.