This Monday on Choosing Happy, Heather busts open a gratitude myth few dare to speak about: that being grateful sometimes comes with hidden costs, like lowering your standards or tolerating less than you deserve.
Drawing from personal experience, she shares how gratitude journals and “just be thankful” messaging nearly trapped her in survival mode, dimming her confidence and stifling her true calling.
But gratitude’s real power lies beyond the present moment—it’s about being radically thankful for what’s coming as though it’s already yours, a concept Heather unpacks with insight inspired by Greg Braden.
Learn how to spot and release toxic gratitude, embrace abundant possibility, and reframe gratitude as a vibrant fuel for growth and manifestation—not a cage for complacency.
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Transcripts
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Hello and welcome to the Choosing Happy Podcast.
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I'm Heather Masters, and it's myth Busting Monday.
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Right?
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Then let's have a real talk.
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You know the phrase, just be grateful for what you have?
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How many times have you heard it used like a mantra, like it's the ultimate goal?
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Well, I'm here to bust that myth open today.
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The idea that gratitude means you shouldn't want more, that being thankful is a full stop on ambition.
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Be grateful for your lot and don't ask for more.
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I remember my mother telling me it over and over again.
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That version of gratitude can seriously limit you.
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And that's what I'll be diving deep into in today's Choosing Happy Podcast.
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The Truth Gratitude can become a hidden trap if it's used to quiet your desire to keep you from growing.
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It's not really gratitude, it's a grift.
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And here's the kicker.
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It actually increases your tolerance for less than you deserve.
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And I know this intimately.
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When the chips were really down a few years ago, I was grateful for a minimum wage job that kept me stuck in survival mode.
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It knocked my confidence in the work I was born to do, like I wasn't worthy of anything better.
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And every night I followed the gurus I wrote in the gratitude journal, focusing on what I had and what I was grateful for.
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And in doing so, I slowly lost my ability to imagine anything more.
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I kept comparing myself to where I wanted to be and decided maybe I should just be grateful for where I am.
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It was a subtle but brutal downward spiral.
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Accepting less, shrinking dreams, dimming my light, not feeling good enough.
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And that's not what growth or transformation feels like, right?
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So here are today's Myth Busters.
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Myth 1 Gratitude means settling the reality is true.
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Gratitude inspires growth and bold asking, not complacency.
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Miss 2 Forced gratitude is healthy.
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The reality is when gratitude is weaponized to silence, dissatisfaction, it's toxic, not healing.
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And this is my favorite.
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Myth 3 that gratitude is only for what you have.
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Now one of the biggest light bulb moments for me and for many others studying manifestation and energy work, including the teachings of Greg Braden, is that true.
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Manifestation doesn't just start from being grateful for what you already have.
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It starts when you're sincerely grateful for what you haven't received yet, as if it's already yours.
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It's about shifting your inner state to believe beyond doubt, knowing the gift, the opportunity, or the change you desire has always already happened energetically, even if the physical evidence hasn't shown up yet.
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Greg Braden talks about this practice as fundamentally rewiring the subconscious mind to align your energy with your intentions.
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And when you cultivate gratitude for what's coming, not just what's present, your nervous system and consciousness begin to operate from a state of abundance and certainty.
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The practice primes your brain to notice opportunities, collaborate with the universe's timing, and step into inspired action with joy, not fear or lack.
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Your unconscious mind can't tell the difference between what's outside of you and what you imagine and in what you truly feel and believe has already happened.
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It's the gold of gratitude, this radical, forward facing thankfulness that moves you from simply wishing for more to fully embodying the reality of having more as if it's already done.
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Here's your task tonight.
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Write three things you want but haven't received yet and close your eyes and imagine that you've already got them, that they're already with you.
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If it's a car, you're driving the car.
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If it's a new coat that you're wearing the coat, that it's keeping you warm, that you can feel the material.
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If it's money, that it's already in your wallet.
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You can see the wallet bulging, or you it's in your bank account and you can visualize the numbers and say to yourself, I'm deeply grateful for this.
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Thank you.
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And notice how that feels expansive, alive and possible.
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And for the next week, practice this future grateful mindset.
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Every time you catch yourself thinking I should be grateful for what I have, instead ask does this make me feel small or expansive or abundant?
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If it makes you feel smaller, then pivot.
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Give yourself permission to want more loudly, proudly and with gratitude.
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So where have you settled, perhaps even accepted situations that no longer serve you in the name of being grateful?
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Is your gratitude supporting growth or is it limiting it?
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If this busted a belief or just be grateful has ever felt like a shutdown, share your story at Choosing Happy podcasts in the socials or tag someone who needs this truth.
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Remember, gratitude is your fuel, not your cage.
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You can subscribe and visit at choosinghappy Space for bold real Transformation and you can find more episodes@choosinghappypodcast.com until next time, keep choosing Happy on your own terms.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this week's episode.
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If you enjoyed it or think it would be valuable to others, please do share.
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And if you really enjoyed it, please leave me a review.
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It really helps the podcast.
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All of the links are in the show notes and I look forward to seeing you next week on the Choosing Happy Podcast.
