A Selfish Note About Giving Thanks…
- Nov 27, 2025
- 2 min read
Did you know that expressing gratitude has a measurable impact on life satisfaction and even life expectancy?
And get this, that impact is FOR YOU.
When we give thanks, we don’t just give it away to friends, family & community, we also set something free within ourselves. We close the chapter on stories of scarcity and deepen the narratives of abundance.
When we shift from what isn’t to what is, something in our mind dances with our body. It reduces blood pressure & heart rate by activating the parasympathetic nervous system which regulates how we rest & recharge.
This means that when gratitude occupies our thoughts, our actions, & even our words we radically elevate everything around us. Sure, it has the power to make someone else’s day, but it also improves OUR sleep quality, lowers inflammation, reduces stress, softens anxiety, tempers depression and oh so much more.
In other words, gratitude, is a super power.
And YET, we tend to limit this power to things in OUR lives. My health, my family, my love, my job….
But when it comes to the big wins of friends, neighbors, strangers, etc… gratitude on their behalf is rarely what emerges. Often, a nastier side to that coin lands in our lap - resentment, jealousy & longing.
So if giving thanks gives us a longer happier life, fueling resentment can only lead in one direction.
Add it all up and you get a simple sermon built on selfishly spreading sustainable joy -
Treasure the wins in life and wildly express it. Yours, theirs, and everyone’s in between.
Today can be about a lot of things, some good and some a little awkward. Just remember that appreciating it all can be your super power.
