Welcome to the Daily Quote, the podcast designed to kickstart your day in a positive way. I'm your host, Andrew McGivern, and this episode is brought to you by the Great News podcast.
Support the show Buy me a coffee
Today’s quote is from Steve Harvey.
Steve Harvey is an American comedian, television host, radio personality, actor, and author.
He is also known for his motivational talks and books about personal growth, relationships, faith, and success.
Steve Harvey once said…
“Gratitude produces joy inside of you, and everybody has it, because I don’t care who you are and what you’re going through or what you got, you got something to be grateful for.”
And a Steve Harvey Facebook post reinforces the same theme: “You can’t stay depressed and grateful at the same time.”
We all have things we are going through and circumstances we are dealing with. And sometimes it can be really dark.
But we all have things that we can be grateful for too.
What Steve Harvey is saying is that if we focus on only our problems and ordeals we can end up with anxiety and depression. If we shift our focus to the things we do have that we are grateful for then our mindset automatically improves because we can’t stay depressed and grateful at the same time.
Many people feel that happiness comes from something external. If we make more money, improve our circumstances, eliminate problems, or get positive feedback from someone else… then we can be happy.
But Harvey is pointing out that this is faulty logic. Why? Because joy comes from within.
He isn’t saying that serious problems should be ignored or that your life will magically change if you focus on gratitude. Because nothing on the outside will change immediately due to having an attitude of gratitude. Your debt won’t magically be paid off, your illness won’t instantly be cured, your relationships will not suddenly be reconciled.
None of your external struggles will evaporate by being grateful .What will happen though is your internal perspective, your mindset and your ability to cope and take action will shift.
Two people can have similar circumstances but experience them very differently depending on what they focus on. Gratitude doesn't necessarily change your situation, but it can change how you experience it.
And Steve Harvey says he doesn’t care who you are, what you’re going through or what you got, you have something to be grateful for.
You don’t have to wait for a big milestone to be grateful for something. The small things are just as big when it comes to shifting your mindset.
A good friend, a great conversation, a nourishing meal, a sunny day, the wind in your hair.
Instead of waiting for something big to happen to feel grateful, decide right now to focus on a few things you appreciate each day. Gratitude isn’t random, it is a practice and a choice.
For many people, the anxiety and external stress they feel is from watching mainstream news coverage and doomscrolling social media feeds. But did you know that there are lots of things happening in the world to be grateful for too. This is the reason I started the Great News show.
If you choose to follow good news stories instead of the constant crises and conflict journalism we get bombarded with then your mindset will shift for the better.
So here’s the question:
No matter what your circumstances are, what is one thing in your life you can be grateful for today?
Everything doesn’t have to be wonderful in order to appreciate one thing that is. And if you can do that then that one thing can make everything else feel a little better.
That’s going to do it for today. I’m Andrew McGivern signing off for now, but I’ll be back… tomorrow! Same pod time, same pod station with another Daily Quote.
