Waiting for a phenomenal achievement to feel grateful could be a very long wait. Fill your day with gratitude for the ordinary and simple.
When I look back on the last ten years, most of my achievements have been small, almost inconsequential—a paper published, a research grant approved, an academic promotion, and such.
Research shows although we can’t change our genetic sequence, we can choose which genes are expressed. And that may be enough.
Research shows that engaged and loving parenting can completely reverse the adverse effects of poverty on the hippocampus, brightening the child’s future. These beneficial effects occur through a change in gene expression.
When I was a child, looking back, my challenges were small. Learning to brush my teeth, dress up, read, memorize ABCs, was not too difficult. My effort almost always led to the desired outcome. As a result, here is a simple formula I wrote up in my head: Effort + Intentions = Outcomes.