When you listen and attune closely, you’ll remember that what you want most for your children — above any superficial achievement — is to be fulfilled. When you can step out of the culture’s obsession with achievement and perfection and instead step into the commitment of seeing your children for who they actually are, you’ll quickly notice their unique spark, their wiring, their way of moving through the world.
Just like smiling even when you’re not happy can bring a moment of calm to your nervous system, saying thank you even if you don’t feel grateful can help you tap into and activate the current of gratitude inside of you.
One of the misconceptions about gratitude is the belief that you have to feel it in order to connect to it. You don’t. Sometimes gratitude washes over us like water, and the feeling floods you like warm sun on a cold winter’s day.