Having More Gratitude (Gracias a Dios)

Nearly a week ago, I had the opportunity to speak on gratitude at church. I wanted to take some of those ideas and discuss them here.

Coming To Seek Gratitude
Before I get into this post, I feel that I need to explain something. I am not a fan of nor support “ toxic positivity.” If you don’t know what this is, Psychology Today provides this definition,

“Toxic positivity hinges on a lack of awareness of negative information…”

In conclusion, toxic positivity is excessive, inappropriate positivity to the point of denying negative reality. If you’ve read some of my past posts, you may know know that I am about realistically acknowledging and overcoming our challenges. We can’t transcend is ignored.

To provide some background, for most of my earlier life, I felt filled with persistent dread and the constant need to “prepare for the worst case scenario.” I don’t know when or how, but I realized that I could excessively prepare for the worst that may be unlikely to happen or I could seek out the positives and welcome them with gratitude. This began with small steps that, eventually, became easier. Allowing myself be controlled by dread and pessimism was no longer acceptable.

Gracias a Dios (Thanks Be To God)
Growing up, this was a quintessential Mexican…