“A person does not grow from the ground like a vine or a tree, one is not part of a plot of land. Mankind has legs so it can wander.”

—Roman Payne

Exploring the world around you is a rather effortless way to practice gratitude. It’s really difficult to truly look at the world around you and not feel something, to not feel blessed to see and feel that part of the world. We sometimes let ourselves wallow in the loneliness and despair by looking away from the world, and in turning away from its people.

We bury ourselves in work, the internet, gambling, porn, games, alcohol, obsessive exercise, serial relationships, and the pursuit of fame and public acceptance. (Of course, none of that works to dissolve the despair. It only makes us forget about it for a short time.) But exploring the outside world – the world beyond ourselves – that becomes a positive feedback loop: exploring makes you appreciate everything more, and appreciating things more makes you want to see more of the world.

Isolating ourselves and living largely in our inner world (and that imaginary world of the internet) is generally only going to make us more unhappy, despite the false promise that we will find joy and fulfilment in one of those stimuli.

Go outside. See something new. Take a microadventure. Gratitude awaits, and it feels GOOD.

Isolating ourselves and living largely in our inner world (and that imaginary world of the internet) is generally only going to make us more unhappy, despite the false promise that we will find joy and fulfilment in one of those stimuli.