Have you ever found yourself talking about your circumstances or strugles, by saying – “well, things could always be worse” or “I have problems, but they are not as bad as so and so’s.”
Even when we express being thankful for something, we often can measure it against someone else’s circumstances, right? “Well, at least I have a job” or “things are tough, but I’m not starving in Africa.”
When we say things like this we are showing that we have some perspective when it comes to our lives and challenges. We are showing a level of gratitude, but it is also done comparatively.
Which means we can often swing between being grateful or ungrateful based on how it compares to others. I’m grateful for my job compared to the person who is out of work; but I am not as grateful for my job compared to the person who gets paid a lot more. We do the same thing with our homes, our kids, spouses or boyfriend/girlfriend.
We make gratitude conditional. It shouldn’t be. We should be thankful for our home – period. Thankful for our family – period. Thankful for our job – period. Let’s try not to base our gratitude on how it compares to others, but rather just be grateful. Period.
**Eric has his Masters in Counseling and when not on B105.7, works as a private practice counselor.**
Photo Credit: Getty Images/fizkes
