We have been taught instead to focus primarily on goals and achievements that we are working toward. Most people have had the experience of that feeling of let down immediately after accomplishing a goal. Without something to continuously look forward to, the current moment can seem empty and even frightening. This practice can generate a constant state of wanting that can be alleviated only by formulating the next goal or acquisition.
Besides the constant wanting, not all people accomplish their goals or get what they want. Depending on their equilibrium, they can experience real devastation if they perceive their inability to reach a goal as a failure. If we are grateful, we may want more than what we have, but we simultaneously are aware of and enjoy what we already do have. A person who finds upon arriving at the store that the store has just run out of his favorite flavor of ice cream may become irritated or even angry. If we weren't taught how to be grateful, it is a habit that we will have to cultivate. Do we have shelter, family, friends, clothing, food, health? These are basic things that we enjoy for most of our lives and take for granted. If we lose the sense of entitlement that make us feel that only good is coming to us, and examine the good on a regular basis, we will become more grateful people.
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