# The gratitude ladder

No matter what our position in life, we can always do one of two things:

1. . Be grateful for the things we have.
2. Be unhappy about the things we lack.

This parses into a ladder, which is this list.

The syntax is as follows:

- A is what you have.
- B is another thing you don't have.
- Complaints: "I hate (A) because I don't have (B)!"
- Gratitude: "I'm glad I have (A) because I don't have (B)!"

Ambition is often simply [creative](mind-creativity-how.md) ingratitude:

- B is what you want.
- X is your means to get B.
- Motivation: "I want (B), so I'm going to (X)!"

This is a general strata, and this isn't a hard list of spectra.

- The rankings are based on a generalized approach of which one is deemed "better" by society's approximate standards.
- The purpose of this is to make it abundantly clear that things are both awful and great, depending how you look at it.

While this is categorized, we can also often jump between strata.

- It magnifies either our capacity for thankfulness, or our capacity for entitlement.

## Home

1. Somewhere to sleep
2. Somewhere safe to sleep
3. Somewhere safe and comfortable to sleep
4. Somewhere to safely store possessions
5. Somewhere with climate control
6. Somewhere to prepare food
7. Somewhere to rent
8. Can have furniture
9. Can afford [decorations](home-decorations.md)
10. Somewhere nice to rent
11. Living where the weather is tolerable
12. Living where the weather is generally pleasant
13. Living where there is a nice view
14. Living where the weather is almost always nice
15. An owned property
16. An owned home
17. A nice owned home
18. Own multiple homes

## Mobility

1. Have the ability to walk
2. Have access to mass transit
3. Have a bicycle
4. Able to ride a conveyance animal
5. Can afford a taxi/rideshare
6. Have an [automobile](autos.md)
7. Have a reliable automobile
8. Have a good-looking automobile

## Career/livelihood

1. Someone to financially support you
2. A chance at a job that pays money
3. A job that pays money
4. Workplace perks (e.g., free food)
5. A reliable job that has a routine
6. A sufficiently paying job for a lifestyle
7. A low-dysfunction work environment
8. Job security
9. A well-paying job that gives a lifestyle surplus
10. A functioning career
11. A career with predictable income (e.g., salary)
12. A career with future opportunities
13. Access to career perks (e.g., [technology](technology.md), [traveling](money-saving-travel.md))
14. A [rewarding](meaning.md) career

## Money

1. Have at least some money available
2. Have a consistent source of income
3. Can afford basic necessities
4. Can afford creature comforts
5. Can afford hobbies
6. Can afford free time with friends
7. Can afford comforts and luxuries for family
8. Can afford expensive hobbies
9. Can afford medical care
10. Debt is under control
11. Debt-free
12. Wealthy
13. Independently wealthy

## Self-care

1. Have access to water
2. Have access to clean water
3. Have access to a toilet
4. Have access to a shower
5. Have hygiene supplies (e.g., soap, shampoo)
6. Have access to [basic healthcare](body-firstaid.md)
7. Have access to a hot shower
8. Have consistent access to a toilet
9. Have consistent access to a hot shower
10. Have bathroom facilities in your home
11. Have a full bathroom in your home
12. Have access to [advanced healthcare](body-health-treatments.md)
13. Have luxury hygiene supplies (e.g., perfume, bath bombs)
14. Have a full bathroom in your home that nobody else uses

## Food/drink

1. Have access to drinkable water
2. Have access to [food](cooking.md)
3. Have reliable access to food
4. Have access to purified water
5. Have access to premade food
6. Have reliable access to premade food
7. Have access to [healthy food](body-health-food.md)

## Recreation

1. Can go outside
2. Know [how to have fun](fun.md)
3. Can afford hobbies
4. Can access the internet
5. Can afford streaming internet services (e.g., Netflix)
6. Have fun regularly
7. Have fun regularly with friends
8. Have [creative](mind-creativity-how.md) hobbies
9. Near a body of water (e.g., swimming, fishing)
10. Have hobbies that cost money
11. Can afford expensive hobbies (e.g., boating, skydiving)
12. Have traveled beyond your home
13. Can travel if desired
14. Have visited a neighboring region (e.g., [road trip](autos.md))
15. Have traveled beyond national borders
16. Have visited tourist destinations
17. Have visited expensive tourist destinations

## Recreational substances

NOTE: the availability is the privilege/blessing, *not* necessarily the consumption of it

1. Have access to snacks
2. Have access to junk food
3. Have access to [tea](fun-tea.md)
4. Have access to [coffee](fun-coffee.md)
5. Have access to [alcohol](fun-alcohol.md)
6. Have access to recreational drugs (e.g., tobacco, marijuana)
7. Have access to opiates or painkillers
8. Have access to designer drugs (e.g., LSD)

## Health/strength

1. Can breathe without pain
2. Able to get up for the day
3. Not afflicted by a debilitating condition (e.g., leprosy, chemotherapy)
4. Have a strong immune system
5. Able to work
6. Have eyesight
7. Have all four limbs, fingers, and toes
8. Can see colors
9. Have hearing
10. Have fully recovered from an injury
11. Pain-free when not moving
12. Able to stretch without sharp pain
13. Pain-free when moving
14. Physically able to do most things
15. Able to do most things for extended periods
16. Able to work hard
17. Able to work hard without pain
18. Able to perform in athletic events
19. Able to win athletic events

## Mind/understanding

1. Not clinically insane
2. Not clinically depressed
3. Able to feel negative emotions (e.g., grief, irritation)
4. Able to feel positive emotions (e.g., joy, peace)
5. Able to [meditate](awareness-meditation.md)
6. Able to [speak](language.md)
7. Able to [learn](education.md) and grow
8. Able to read
9. Have had good experiences
10. Have [succeeded](success-1_why.md) at something in the past
11. Able to perceive surroundings
12. Able to understand surroundings
13. Able to develop an [intuition](mind-feelings.md)
14. Able to perform basic routines
15. Able to [analyze](logic.md) what is going on
16. Have something to do
17. Have something to look forward to
18. Able to [write](language-writing.md)
19. Intelligent enough to [operate a computer](computers.md)
20. Able to use computers to improve your life (e.g., [better habits](habits.md))
21. Able to understand [philosophy](philosophy.md)
22. Able to release [stress](happiness-stress.md)
23. Able to [sleep well](sleep.md)
24. Able to find peace

## Social skills

1. Able to interact with others
2. Able to express thoughts
3. Able to express emotions
4. Able to [sell yourself](marketing-sales.md)
5. Able to speak multiple languages
6. Able to [resolve conflicts](people-conflicts.md)
7. Able to [influence others](power-influence.md) to your way of thinking
8. Able to be [street smart](safety-streetsmart.md)
9. Able to [negotiate](people-conflicts-negotiation.md)

## Friends

1. Nobody is trying to kill you
2. Nobody is trying to harm you
3. Not hated by anyone
4. Have acquaintances
5. Have had a friend
6. Have recently had a positive affirmation from someone
7. Have someone to spend holidays with
8. Have a [pet](fun-pets.md)
9. Have recently had a hug
10. Have someone to talk to
11. Know someone trustworthy
12. Can have a deep conversation with someone
13. Have a friend
14. Have a mentor/teacher
15. Someone has celebrated birthday
16. Close spiritual connection with non-family (e.g,. [church](church.md)
17. Have a best friend

## Romantic relationships

1. Currently going through a divorce
2. Have [dated](relationships-dating.md) a boy/girl
3. Have kissed a boy/girl
4. Have fallen in love
5. Have had a girlfriend/boyfriend
6. Have a girlfriend/boyfriend
7. Have been in love
8. Have been engaged
9. Have been married
10. Engaged
11. Married
12. Had a wonderful wedding
13. Currently [married](relationships-marriage.md)
14. Currently in a dynamic marriage lifestyle
15. Have a trustworthy spouse
16. Can [have sex](relationships-sex.md) with spouse
17. Currently in love

## Family

1. Had someone [who raised you](parenting-children.md)
2. Had extended family (e.g., cousin, grandparent)
3. Had a sibling
4. Knew mother
5. Knew father
6. Had a child
7. Have someone [who raised you](parenting-children.md)
8. Have extended family (e.g., cousin, grandparent)
9. Have a sibling
10. Know mother
11. Know father
12. No trouble with parents (e.g., in-laws)
13. No trouble with extended family (e.g., in-laws)
14. Relationship with extended family
15. Relationship with sibling
16. Relationship with mother
17. Relationship with father
18. Have a child
19. No trouble with children
20. Child has [succeeded](success-1_why.md)
21. In touch with child
22. Close connection with child

## Reputation/political

1. A government isn't hunting you down
2. Nobody is [persecuting](hardship-persecution.md) you
3. [Incarcerated](hardship-incarceration.md)
4. In a country where you speak the language
5. Not on probation
6. Not a convicted felon
7. Not a convicted criminal
8. Not in any [legal trouble](legal-safety.md)
9. All neighbors aren't hostile
10. Part of a community of people
11. Neighbors are pleasant
12. Part of a self-improving community of people (e.g., church, school)
13. Part of a reputable community of people (e.g., alumni association)
14. Have little to no signs of [aging](hardship-aging.md) (e.g., balding, gray hair, wrinkles)
15. Have a favorable reputation in a community of people
16. Famous