Challenge yourself. Think of at least fifteen new things you’re grateful for every week. Writing down the things that you’re grateful for will make you appreciate them even more.
Sure, nobody’s perfect, and one of your friends might have disappointed you a time or two. But have you been a flawless friend yourself? Most likely not.
Don’t let a day go by without telling your family how much you love them. If you were not raised by a family that treated you well, then this is something you will have to accept eventually. Though it is completely not fair, if you want to work on being more grateful, you have to focus on the people who were a part of your support system, not the people who were absent from it.
Some of these people have never revealed their identity. For example, people who write Wikipedia articles. For this reason, you never know much a stranger or a friend really may be helping you. Sometimes the most moral person can also be the most humble.
Be grateful for the air in your lungs, the clearness in your head, and the spring in your step. There are many people who are not so lucky, and who manage to be grateful anyway. You will have a better sense of gratitude after you have your first health scare and then realize that everything is all right. But hopefully it won’t have to come to this.
Sure, other people may have been given even more opportunities than you, but that doesn’t mean that you should dwell in bitterness or jealousy.
Even if it’s a rainy, gloomy day, you can be grateful for the comforting sound of the rain.
Put things in perspective. You may be upset because you failed a math test, but you’re not suffering from financial ruin. Remember that there are always people whose problems are much bigger than yours, and focus on being positive and happy about the things you do have.
Take control of your life. Stop thinking that you’re a victim of bad circumstances and focus on all of the things in your life that anyone would agree are actually good circumstances.
Not only is it polite to say thank you to people, but it will also put you in a more grateful mindset.
You may not like feeling vulnerable, but it won’t be so bad once you get used to thanking the people you really love.
Whatever the kind deed, writing a thank you card will not only make the other person smile, but it will make you a more grateful person because you’ll have to put your gratitude into words.
Doing other favors for people will make you a less selfish person and will make you more grateful when the time comes.
Ranting on Facebook and getting people to support your rants with comments and likes will only fuel the fire and inspire more ungrateful behavior. If you really feel the need to share something personal with all of your Facebook friends, try to make it something positive.
You’ll be old too one day, buddy. Will you want a grandchild who is counting down the minutes until he can join his friends at the mall?
Remember that it’s impossible to really compare yourself to someone else without knowing the whole story. Sure, you may wish you had as much money as your best friend, but she may wish that her parents loved each other as much as yours do.
If you really like volunteering, you can even take a volunteer trip to another country. This will really change your perspective and will make you even more grateful.
The more time you spend outside instead of being cooped up inside your home, the more grateful you will feel.
Making a weekly yoga habit will help you appreciate the small stuff and not feel like you’re not getting enough out of life. Yoga is all about being generous and offering up what you have to the world. This is guaranteed to make you less selfish and more grateful.
Make a goal of doing at least one random act of kindness per month. Try to get this down to per week. Think you can do one a day? You’ll never know until you try.
Getting in a habit of giving gifts to your friends just because you thought of them and want them to feel special is a great way to be a more grateful person.
