The difference between proactive and reactive gratitude

Allow me to draw the distinction between reactive gratitude, and proactive gratitude.
The former is extremely common, often fueled by adrenaline, and is an occasional, or regular occurrence for every human being on the planet.

Conversely, the latter is a “higher state“ of gratitude. It is a learned behavior, and can lead to tremendous health benefits, and an overall sense of well-being and equanimity, which unfortunately many people lack in their daily lives.

Reactive Gratitude occurs when you get an unexpected piece of good news. Or on the other hand, when bad news is avoided. Examples might be:

A serious health concern that turns out to be benign.
Narrowly avoiding a pile up on the interstate.
A child or grandchild gets into their first choice for college, or cracks the starting lineup on their athletic team.
Your spouse survives a significant round of layoffs at their firm.

There’s nothing wrong with reactive gratitude, it is simply human nature. But proactive gratitude, where one consciously decides to be grateful, is something completely different, and can lead to a more enlightened state.

Proactive gratitude means that you choose to find reasons to be grateful all day, every day.

Take note of the fact and be grateful that you had fruit and yogurt for breakfast, not bacon and eggs, because you’re prioritizing your health.
Be grateful you ran into a neighbor you haven’t seen in months due to a happenstance meeting at the grocery store.
Be grateful that, despite the bumper-to-bumper traffic, someone paused and let you into the flow of traffic, so you’re not stuck ad infinitum.

In other words, it’s not any one of these relatively minor events, but the sum total, the combination of these random acts, these disparate occurrences, that can lead you to a continuously grateful mindset. And in so doing, improve your outlook, your well-being, even your ability to fall asleep more quickly, and slumber more restfully through the night.