You can be thankful, you can be grateful, and you can be both at the same time.

However, not everyone understands the difference between the two and how these two go hand in hand. If you want to be grateful, you need to be thankful first. Fortunately, thankfulness is easier compared to gratefulness.

So, what is the difference between the two and how can you practice it in your everyday life?

Thankfulness

What is thankfulness? Thankfulness is when you are conscious of the things that you have received. You take conscious actions to be thankful for what you have received.

Usually, thankfulness is a knee-jerk reaction—our auto-response. It happens in an instant and is associated with polite behavior to express your appreciation.

The thing is that the act of thankfulness only lasts for a short period. For example, do you remember the person who held the door open for you and you said thank you to? Most likely, no. Compared with gratefulness, expressing thanks is easier and it’s also become a social norm that is applicable in general situations.

Gratefulness

Now, let’s talk about gratefulness. Gratefulness is the appreciation of the things that we have received and the people and things that are presently in our lives. It’s having a sense of thankfulness that comes from within. Gratefulness happens at a deeper level and it can live there for a very long time.

Gratefulness is the manifestation of commitment, love, and devotion toward those who have value to you and in your life. It embodies shared experiences, understanding, and love.

Gratefulness and Thankfulness Go Hand In Hand

When it comes to gratefulness and how it differs from thankfulness is that gratitude starts from the mind. It carries with it a belief to feel that appreciation./ When you are grateful for something, you don’t need words or any physical sign to express your gratitude, but instead, it comes from within and is followed by your actions naturally.

The thing is, it’s impossible to feel grateful without thankfulness. The two go hand in hand. Since thankfulness is more like an auto response with short-lasting effects, the feeling of gratefulness only follows when we consciously do so; therefore, gratefulness takes a lot of conscious work to have in our lives. It’s a continuous practice that will change our lives significantly.

How To Be Thankful AND Grateful

As you know by now, being thankful and expressing thanks are easy. The challenge is to be grateful every day. If you want to live an enriching and fulfilling life, you need to live with a grateful heart. The key here is to keep gratitude at the forefront of your life. Focus your mind on how privileged you are, because no matter what you have and going through, there are still a lot of things in your life to be grateful for.

When you focus your mind on the good things in your life, it becomes easier to express a deep sense of appreciation toward other things.

A powerful way to bring a sense of gratefulness into your life is by listing down the things that you’re grateful for. You can do this every day, at any time that you want. Simply make a list of the things that you are grateful for and feel the feeling of gratitude radiate all over your body. Express gratitude through your writing to train you to become a grateful person.