Sunday Gratitude

The quote I chose for this post is from Lisa Heckman. A fairly extensive Google search did not reveal who Ms. Heckman is or why her quote is so popular, but I appreciate her words very much: “In a society that has you counting money, pounds, calories, and steps, be a rebel and count your blessings instead.”

Her quote struck a chord for me after spending an unusual amount of time watching TV. I was resting with my partner as he recovered from a medical emergency. It was an interesting experience for me to watch so much TV because I felt absolutely assaulted by all of the commercials. It was them SCREAMING for my attention (anyone else notice this?), insisting that I “deserve” and am entitled to all kinds of things: luxury cars, clothing and purses, cruises, cosmetic products…I could go on.

The marketing messages being hurled at us haven’t changed for almost 100 years, since the inception of professional marketing and PR. Following World War I and at the request of the American government, Edward Bernays was essentially tasked with brainwashing the American public into buying American products to boost the post-war economy, and it worked beautifully. In short, he used the message “You need to buy our stuff if you want to be happy.”

The truth is, we don’t need any of those things to be happy. Though there is no established definition of happiness, descriptions commonly include ideas such as contentment, joy, and a sense of meaning and purpose. For me personally, this includes the recognition that “more” will not bring me happiness, and what I truly do need is a sense of deep gratitude for what I already have.

Why is gratitude so important for neurodiverse individuals? I explain in this earlier post.

So, what are you grateful for today? What went well this past week?

#NeuroscienceNeuroplasticity #adhdbrains #gratitudepractice #adhdlifecoach #adhdlifecoaching