Gratitude, Enough, and the Long Game 🌱

Friends,

If you have listened to my podcast or heard me speak in public before, you may have heard me discuss the two things that can make all the difference in our lives, relationships, and careers: gratitude and delayed gratification.

If you’re feeling stuck, lost, confused, or you’ve lost the feeling of being in the flow, think about mixing these two. When combined, their alchemy creates an elixir that makes all the difference in how we perceive and experience the world.

1. Begin in gratitude.
   Because when you begin in gratitude, you’re starting from a place of enough. Looking back, I’ve never actually not had enough. Sure, I’ve felt lack—emotionally, financially, relationally—but when I back up and choose to see with grateful eyes, I always find the areas where the cup was already overflowing. Gratitude expands your vision. It opens the door to wonder. It slows the pace. And it reminds you that beauty is often hiding in the coarse black pepper of our lives.

2. Fall in love with delayed gratification.
   This isn’t about denial. It’s about freedom. Because when I’m aligned with delayed gratification, I’m no longer living in the illusion of the future—I’m grounded in the now. I’m sowing with intention. I’m planting seeds for things that matter—peace, presence, sustainability, joy. Simply put, good things take time and when we don’t demand immediate results from our actions, we open the doorway to future possibility and serendipity.

Here’s the truth I’ve come to trust:
Show me someone with a spirit of gratitude that is aligned with the rhythms of delayed gratification, and I’ll show you a peaceful human leading an interesting life.

A couple of years ago, I released an episode of Good / True / & Beautiful that is a personal riff on these themes. It’s part story, part poem, part encouragement—especially for anyone stepping into a new beginning.

🎧 Listen to the episode here

All there’s left to do is enjoy,

Ashton