In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.
Interpretation
Gratefulness leads to happiness, not the other way around.
This quote emphasizes the importance of gratitude as a fundamental aspect of achieving happiness. It suggests that rather than waiting for happiness to arrive, one should actively cultivate gratitude for the positive aspects of life, which in turn fosters a sense of joy and fulfillment.
In practice
In a motivational speech about mental well-being, you could use this quote to emphasize the power of gratitude.
You want to get rich in order that you may surround yourself with beautiful things, see distant lands, feed your mind, and develop your intellect; in order that you may love others and do kind things, and be able to play a good part in helping the world to find truth.
Many people who order their lives rightly in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude.
Whatever you habitually think yourself to be, that you are. You must form, now, a greater and better habit; you must form a conception of yourself as a being of limitless power, and habitually think that you are that being. It is the habitual, not the periodical thought that decides your destiny.
That which makes you want more money is the same as that which makes the plant grow; it is life seeking fuller expression.
Never look at the visible supply; always look at the limitless riches in the formless substance and know that they are coming to you as fast as you can receive and use them.
If I didn’t think, I’d be much happier.
Living with only the bare essentials has not only provided superficial benefits such as the pleasure of a tidy room or the simple ease of cleaning, it has also led to a more fundamental shift. It's given me a chance to think about what it really means to be happy.
Happiness is threatening and misery is safe - safe for the ego. Ego can exist only in misery and through misery. Ego is an island surrounded by hell; happiness is threatening to the ego, to the very existence of the ego. Happiness rises like a sun and the ego disappears, evaporates like a dewdrop on the grass leaf.
Peace and rest at length have come,_x000D_ _x000D_ All the day's long toil is past;_x000D_ _x000D_ And each heart is whispering, "Home,_x000D_ _x000D_ Home at last!"
I would challenge anybody in their darkest moment to write what they're grateful for, even stupid little things like the green grass that made them feel good, the friendly conversation they had with somebody on an alevator. You start to realize how rich you are.
The key to human happiness lies within our own state of mind, and so too do the primary obstacles to that happiness.
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