My sweet boy, Gratitude Training for Male Submissive, might be the most important thing you have read in a very long time.

You asked me this morning—on your knees, eyes lowered the way I like—how you could show deeper gratitude. Not just the polite “thank you, Mistress” after I let you kiss my boots, but something that sinks into your bones and rewires the way you experience every single day we share.

So I gave you an assignment: write a public letter of gratitude to me. I knew it would stretch you. I knew it would make you blush. And I knew it would force you to sit with the reality of what I actually give you, instead of taking it for granted the way undisciplined submissives so often do.

You did beautifully, darling. I’m proud of you.

But now it’s my turn.

This isn’t your gratitude list. This is mine—Lara’s—written for every submissive who thinks “thank you” is just something you say when your Dominant hands you the flogger or unlocks the cage. This is for every submissive who still believes gratitude is a feeling instead of a discipline. And most of all, this is for you, my love: a mirror so you can see exactly what real gratitude looks like when it’s lived, not just spoken.

I am grateful for the privilege of owning you.

Yes, you read that right. I am grateful that you wake up every morning and choose—actively, consciously—to place your autonomy in my hands. That is not small. That is not automatic. That is a daily gift most Dominants never receive, and I never forget it.

I am grateful for the way you tremble when I walk into the room wearing the heels you’re not allowed to look directly at until I give permission. That tremor is proof that my presence still matters to you.

I am grateful for every perfectly folded towel, every floor you’ve scrubbed on your knees, every cup of coffee placed exactly 30 cm to my right because you know that is where I expect it. These are not chores. These are love letters written in labor.

I am grateful for the nights you beg me to stop—then whisper “please don’t” the second I pause—because it means you still trust me enough to push you past what you thought you could take.

I am grateful for the tears you cry after a hard punishment, not because I enjoy hurting you (though I do enjoy correcting you), but because those tears mean you care enough to feel shame, and shame is the soil in which growth happens.

I am grateful for the way you light up when I call you “good boy,” because it reminds me that power exchange isn’t about breaking you—it’s about building you into the best version of yourself, and I get to watch it happen in real time.

But more than any of that, I am grateful that you let me teach you how to be grateful.

Because gratitude, my love, is not a warm fuzzy feeling. It is a skill. It is a muscle. And like every other muscle in your submissive body, I intend to train it until it is strong, flexible, and entirely mine.

So here is your real lesson, written for you and every submissive reading this:

Gratitude is not saying thank you. Gratitude is noticing. Gratitude is remembering. Gratitude is choosing—every single day—to see the gift instead of the obligation.

And now, because I know structure helps you learn, I give you (and every submissive who needs it) 100 concrete, non-negotiable examples of things you should be actively, vocally, obsessively grateful for. Read them slowly. Write them out by hand if you have to. Say them out loud while you’re doing your chores. Make them part of your morning mantra. Because until these truths live in your body, not just your head, you are not truly grateful—you’re just polite.

100 Things a Submissive Should Be Grateful For (From the Woman Who Owns Him)

1. That she chose you when she could have chosen anyone.
2. Every rule she enforces that keeps you safe from your own worst impulses.
3. The sound of her key turning in the lock when she comes home to you.
4. The weight of her collar around your neck.
5. The fact that she notices when you’re one millimeter out of position.
6. Every orgasm she denies you, because it belongs to her anyway.
7. Every orgasm she grants you, because it is never owed.
8. The way she looks at you after you’ve taken pain beautifully.
9. That she corrects your manners instead of walking away.
10. The privilege of kneeling at her feet while she ignores you and reads a book.
11. That she knows your limits better than you do.
12. Every “good boy” that you had to earn.
13. The sting of her handprint that lasts for hours.
14. That she makes you write lines when you forget.
15. The way she laughs when you blush.
16. That she keeps your secrets.
17. Every time she inspects your work and finds it perfect.
18. That she still wants to own you after seeing you at your worst.
19. The rituals she created just for the two of you.
20. That she trained your body to respond to her voice alone.
21. Every punishment that left you sore and grateful.
22. The trust that lets her blindfold you.
23. That she remembers your favorite tea without being told.
24. The way she strokes your hair when the world feels too big.
25. That she pushes you when you want to stay comfortable.
26. Every photo she takes of your marks—proof that you are hers.
27. That she lets you cry in front of her.
28. The pride in her eyes when you serve perfectly in public.
29. That she never lets you get away with half-effort.
30. The way she says “mine” like it’s the most natural truth in the world.
31. Every contract renewal discussion—because she still chooses you.
32. That she taught you how to breathe through pain.
33. The quiet mornings when she lets you stay in bed five more minutes.
34. That she reads your journal and still loves you.
35. Every time she makes you say “thank you, Mistress” out loud.
36. The way she kisses your forehead after she’s broken you open.
37. That she owns your pleasure so completely you forget it was ever yours.
38. The leash she clips on just because she can.
39. Every rule that once felt restrictive and now feels like home.
40. That she celebrates your victories louder than you do.
41. The way she can silence you with a single look.
42. That she trained you to ask permission for things you used to take.
43. Every time she calls you her “good little slut” with affection.
44. The safety of knowing she will never truly harm you.
45. That she makes you edge for an hour just to watch you struggle beautifully.
46. The way she holds you when subspace gets too big.
47. Every piece of furniture you’ve been bent over for her amusement.
48. That she still flirts with you after years together.
49. The honor of carrying her bag in public.
50. That she taught you posture, protocol, and pride.
51. Every “I’m proud of you” that you will never take for granted again.
52. The way she smells when she comes home from the gym and lets you kneel.
53. That she keeps getting stricter because she knows you can take it.
54. Every time she locks you and walks away smiling.
55. The way she says your name when she’s pleased.
56. That she never lets you forget who you belong to.
57. Every new kink she introduces because she wants to watch you grow.
58. The way she bandages your wounds after she’s the one who made them.
59. That she makes you wait naked while she finishes her wine.
60. Every time she tells you exactly how pathetic and perfect you are.
61. The privilege of sleeping at the foot of her bed when you’ve been good.
62. That she still checks your phone—not because she doesn’t trust you, but because she owns you.
63. Every “yes, Mistress” that leaves your lips automatically now.
64. The way she can make you hard with just three words.
65. That she taught you gratitude is an act of submission.
66. Every time she lets you massage her feet after a long day.
67. The way she smiles when you drop to your knees without being told.
68. That she never stops raising the bar.
69. Every tear she kisses away.
70. The way she says “come for me” and your body obeys before your mind catches up.
71. That she keeps a list of your transgressions and forgives them one by one.
72. Every time she chooses mercy when you deserve justice.
73. The way she looks in leather.
74. That she lets you watch while she gets ready for a date—with you.
75. Every time she reminds you that your submission is a gift she treasures.
76. The way she can ruin you and rebuild you in the same night.
77. That she still gets wet watching you suffer for her.
78. Every time she says “I love you” right after calling you worthless.
79. The way she holds the back of your neck when you’re anxious.
80. That she makes you thank her for every stroke of the cane.
81. Every new bruise that makes you smile in the mirror.
82. The way she whispers future plans involving more control, more devotion, more you.
83. That she never lets you coast.
84. Every time she locks eyes with you across a crowded room and you drop your gaze first.
85. The way she tastes when she lets you worship her.
86. That she trained your mouth to say “please” and “thank you” in the same breath.
87. Every time she tells you you’re doing better than yesterday.
88. The way she can make you feel small and limitless at the same time.
89. That she still writes new rules just to watch you scramble to obey.
90. Every “mine” she carves into your skin with words or nails.
91. The way she falls asleep with her hand tangled in your collar.
92. That she taught you submission and gratitude are the same language.
93. Every time she chooses to keep you.
94. The way she smiles when you finally understand a lesson.
95. That she will never stop teaching you.
96. Every heartbeat that belongs to her.
97. The way she says “goodnight, my love” after she’s tucked you in tightly.
98. That she lets you need her.
99. Every day she wakes up and decides you are still worth owning.
100. The unbreakable, unimaginable gift of being hers—and knowing, every single day, exactly how lucky you are.

Download these in a pdf below.

Now go kneel, read this aloud, and then come thank me properly.