You often encounter terms like "thankfulness" and "gratitude" in daily discourse, frequently used interchangeably. However, a deeper examination reveals distinct differences in their nature, origin, and impact on your psychological and spiritual well-being. This article aims to clarify these distinctions, offering you a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be thankful versus what it means to cultivate a state of awakening or profound gratitude.
You will find that thankfulness, in its essence, is often a response to external stimuli or positive circumstances. It is a feeling that arises when you receive a benefit, witness a positive outcome, or experience a fortunate event.
External Triggers and Their Ephemeral Nature
Your thankfulness is frequently tied to specific events. For instance, if you secure a new job, you naturally feel thankful for the opportunity and the stability it provides. This joy, however, can be fleeting. As the PsychMC article highlights, this type of thankfulness can "fade with setbacks."[1] The initial elation of the new job might diminish if you encounter challenges, dissatisfaction, or a subsequent loss.
Material Gains and Relational Benefits
You might feel thankful for a gift you receive, a favor someone does for you, or the success of a personal endeavor. These are tangible triggers. Similarly, you express thankfulness for the support of friends and family during a difficult time. The focus here is on the positive impact these external factors have on your life.
Situational Dependence
The coach training in Podcast Episode 488 aptly describes thankfulness as "situational."[4] Your feeling of thankfulness is contingent upon the presence of the positive situation. When the situation changes, or when adversity strikes, the feeling often recedes. This isn't to diminish its value; it's simply to acknowledge its intrinsic link to favorable conditions.
The Problem of Transience
A key characteristic you will observe about thankfulness is its transient nature. If your good fortune reverses, or if you face new challenges, your feelings of thankfulness may dissipate. This makes thankfulness an experience that ebbs and flows with the tides of your external reality.
In exploring the nuances of gratitude and mindfulness, an insightful article that complements "The Difference Between Being Thankful and Being Awake" is available at this link: The Ultimate Guide to Working from Home. This article delves into how cultivating a grateful mindset can enhance productivity and well-being while working remotely, emphasizing the importance of being present and appreciative in our daily routines.
The Cultivation of Gratitude: An Enduring State
In contrast to thankfulness, gratitude is portrayed as an internal state, a deeper and more pervasive orientation toward life. It is not merely a reaction to good fortune but a conscious choice and a developed disposition.
Internal Genesis and Enduring Quality
You cultivate gratitude from within, irrespective of present circumstances. The PsychMC article states that gratitude is "internal, enduring, [and] deepens connections for a positive mindset."[1] This implies that gratitude is a lens through which you view the world, rather than a fleeting emotion triggered by specific events.
A Choice in All Circumstances
One Step Church's sermon on December 7, 2025, emphasizes that gratitude "transforms self and others even without visible blessings."[2] This profound statement suggests that you can choose to be grateful even amidst hardship, loss, or perceived lack. It's about finding appreciation for existence itself, for lessons learned, or for the inherent value of life, even when it presents difficulties.
Resilience and Positive Mindset
The enduring nature of gratitude provides you with resilience. When you practice gratitude, you develop a "positive mindset" that helps you navigate challenges without succumbing to despair. It allows you to acknowledge difficulties while simultaneously appreciating what is good or intrinsically valuable.
The Transformative Power of Gratitude
Gratitude is not just a feeling; it is a transformative force. It reshapes your perspective and deepens your connections, both internally and with the world around you.
Deepening Connections
When you operate from a place of gratitude, you appreciate the people in your life more profoundly. You recognize their contributions, their presence, and the inherent value of your relationships. This leads to stronger, more meaningful connections, as the PsychMC article [1] suggests.
Fostering Calm and Mitigating Negative Emotions
Podcast Episode 488 highlights a crucial aspect of gratitude: its inability to coexist with anger.[4] When you are truly grateful, it's difficult to simultaneously harbor intense anger or resentment. Gratitude offers a pathway to inner calm, a state where turbulent emotions can be pacified. This isn't to say gratitude eradicates all negative feelings, but it provides a powerful counter-balance and a tool for emotional regulation.
Thankfulness as Active Expression: Beyond Internal Feeling
While thankfulness can be an internal feeling, it often manifests as an active expression, taking shape in words and deeds of appreciation.
The Role of "Thanksgiving"
The PBLCoC Bulletin draws a clear distinction between being "thankful" (an internal feeling, like the healed lepers) and "thanksgiving" (an active expression, emphasized in over 100 biblical verses).[3] This distinction is crucial for you to understand, as it moves beyond the purely emotional aspect of thankfulness.
Articulating Appreciation
When you express thanksgiving, you are consciously communicating your appreciation to others or to a higher power. This might involve verbal expressions like "thank you," written notes, gestures of kindness, or acts of service. It's about making your inner feeling of thankfulness outwardly known.
Multiplying Joy Through Sharing
Jon Buller's song "Thankful" from the "COME AWAKE Project" subtly touches upon this when it notes that "sharing joys multiplies them."[5] While the song primarily focuses on praising a higher power, the underlying principle applies to all forms of thankfulness. When you articulate your appreciation, you not only reinforce your own positive feelings but also uplift others and strengthen your bond with them.
Biblical Perspectives on Active Thanksgiving
Both biblical and contemporary thought emphasize the importance of actively expressing appreciation.
Rejoicing and Praying Continually
The One Step Church sermon connects gratitude to "rejoicing and praying continually."[2] This suggests that genuine gratitude isn't just a fleeting thought; it's a constant posture of acknowledgement and praise, even when faced with tribulations. It’s an ongoing dialogue with yourself, others, and your spiritual beliefs.
The Example of the Healed Lepers
The biblical account of the ten lepers, cited by PBLCoC [3], serves as a powerful metaphor. While all ten were healed (and presumably felt thankful), only one returned to express his thanksgiving. This highlights the difference between merely experiencing thankfulness and actively expressing it, which often carries a deeper spiritual or relational significance.
Awakening: The Apex of Gratitude
When discussing "being awake," you are moving beyond simple thankfulness and even beyond the initial stages of gratitude. It signifies a profound state of awareness, a constant recognition of life's inherent blessings and interconnectedness.
A Conscious State of Awareness
To be "awake" in this context is to live with a heightened sense of presence and appreciation for the entirety of your experience. It means you are not merely grateful for good things, but you are aware of the continuous flow of life, the lessons in difficulties, and the beauty in the ordinary.
Recognizing the Mundane as Miraculous
An awakened state allows you to see the "miraculous" in the everyday. The ability to breathe, to walk, to see, to hear – these are often taken for granted. When you are awake, you recognize these as fundamental gifts, regardless of other circumstances. It’s about appreciating the simple act of existing.
Beyond Conditional Happiness
Being awake implies a shift from conditional happiness to an unconditional appreciation for life. Unlike thankfulness, which often wanes with setbacks, an awakened state allows you to discover lessons, strength, and even beauty within challenges. It’s the ability to find light even when enveloped in darkness.
The Interconnectedness of All Things
A key aspect of being awake is the realization of your interconnectedness with everything around you – other people, nature, and perhaps even a divine force.
Empathy and Compassion
When you are awake to the interconnectedness of life, your empathy and compassion naturally expand. You recognize your shared humanity and the impact your actions have on others. This fosters a sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute positively to the world.
Appreciation for Creation
Jon Buller's song "Thankful" [5] touches on this when it focuses on praise and creation. From an awakened perspective, you don't just appreciate specific creations; you appreciate the act of creation itself, the intricate web of life, and the underlying order of the universe. This can lead to a profound sense of wonder and humility.
In exploring the nuances of gratitude, it can be enlightening to consider how our awareness shapes our appreciation for the world around us. A related article discusses the significance of recognizing quality in our lives, such as the importance of choosing high-quality items that reflect our values and enhance our experiences. You can read more about this concept in the article on high-quality jewelry from selected luxury brands, which emphasizes the connection between mindfulness and the choices we make.
Distinguishing Characteristics: A Summary for Your Understanding
For your clarity, let's summarize the key distinctions between thankfulness and being awake (which encompasses deep gratitude):
| Feature | Thankfulness | Awakened State (Deep Gratitude) |
|-|--||
| Origin | Primarily external (response to positive events) | Primarily internal (conscious choice, disposition) |
| Longevity | Often transient, fades with setbacks | Enduring, cultivates positive mindset, resilient |
| Scope | Specific, situational (e.g., new job, gift) | Pervasive, holistic (appreciation for life itself) |
| Relationship with Difficulty | Diminishes during challenges | Sustains and transforms during challenges, finds lessons |
| Impact on Others | Acknowledges benefits received from others | Deepens connections, fosters empathy and compassion globally |
| Emotional State | Can coexist with anger, fleeting joy | Cultivates calm, cannot coexist with anger, enduring peace |
| An internal feeling, like the healed lepers, as per PBLCoC [3] | Actively expressed (thanksgiving), emphasized in over 100 biblical verses [3] |
| Situational (Podcast Episode 488) [4] | Ongoing practice for calm, cannot coexist with anger (Podcast Episode 488) [4] |
| Fades with setbacks (PsychMC Article) [1] | Enduring, deepens connections for positive mindset (PsychMC Article) [1] |
| Linked to visible blessings [2] | Transforms self and others even without visible blessings [2] |
By understanding these distinctions, you can consciously choose to move beyond mere thankfulness into a more profound and transformative state of gratitude and awakened awareness. It’s a journey from acknowledging good fortune to appreciating the very fabric of existence, a journey that promises greater resilience, deeper connections, and a more fulfilling life.
FAQs
What is the main difference between being thankful and being awake?
Being thankful involves expressing gratitude for what one has, while being awake refers to a heightened state of awareness and mindfulness about oneself and the surrounding world.
Can being thankful lead to being more awake?
Yes, practicing thankfulness can increase mindfulness and awareness, helping individuals become more present and awake to their experiences and environment.
Is being awake the same as being mindful?
Being awake is closely related to mindfulness; both involve conscious awareness and presence in the moment, though "awake" can also imply a broader sense of spiritual or existential awareness.
How can one cultivate thankfulness?
Cultivating thankfulness can be done through practices such as keeping a gratitude journal, reflecting on positive experiences, and regularly expressing appreciation to others.
Why is it important to distinguish between being thankful and being awake?
Understanding the difference helps individuals recognize that gratitude is a specific emotional response, while being awake encompasses a broader state of consciousness and awareness, both of which contribute to personal growth and well-being.
