I recently watched a video by Esther Hicks (Abraham). She was talking about the difference between appreciation and gratitude and how appreciation is much more powerful. So ever since then I’ve been thinking about it.
We know ( or have heard) about how powerful gratitutde is. I’ve advised many clients who were feeling stuck in their lives or who were going through a particularly difficult situation to keep a gratitude journal, focusing on what they have in their life that they’re grateful for every day. And that certainly is a very powerful thing – it can make you feel better, and help you to realize that things are not as bad as they may seem. So what’s the difference between gratitude and appreciation?
When you practice gratitude, it certainly can help you to appreciate what you have in your life much more. So if you think of it in terms of emotion, feeling and energy – appreciation is a more powerful energy. When you truly appreciate something or someone there’s a feeling that goes along with it, a sensation in your body. You can be grateful for something without necessarily generating that strong feeling. For example, I can be grateful for chocolate (and believe me, I am) or grateful that the person who almost backed into my car the other day heard me sounding the horn just in time and stopped (and I really am). Gratitude is a very good feeling, but I think that appreciation is stronger.
At the end of the day it used to be that I would lie in bed and think of the things that I’m grateful for that day. Now, I think of the things I appreciate about the day – it’s subtle but really is more powerful. I think appreciation requires more thought. For example, you can say you’re grateful for your spouse – but when you start to think about the things you really appreciate about them, such as their great sense of humor, or how patient they are with the children, or how he or she always brings you tea in bed, you’re really taking the time to think more deeply about them – and the resulting feeling, as you take the time to think about those things is much stronger.
I’m including a link to the video here, so you can see it for yourself. Once you’ve watched it, I do encourage you to practice appreciation as you go through your day. Start to notice how you feel as you appreciate the people, places, things and situations in your life. It really is a good feeling. Always be grateful, but take the time to appreciate as well. I think you’ll notice a big difference. Let me know if you do.
Linda Binns
Harmony Inside & Out
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