Unlock Your Best Life With Gratitude

 
A truly grateful person counts their blessings, not their burdens. 

Gratitude is a powerful emotion that fills our soul with a deep appreciation for what matters most. 

It’s a superpower that sets the tone for our day, fuels goodwill, creates opportunities, frames our expectations, and guides our actions.

Furthermore, it reminds us that the most important things in life for which we’re the most grateful are free.

Here are ten ways to become a person of gratitude. 

Keep A Gratitude Journal

Wake up grateful in the morning by listing two or three things you’re deeply thankful for. Consider writing them in your journal first thing in the morning or last thing at night before going to bed. There are journaling apps you can download. Or keep it super simple with a notebook. 

Smile and Say Thank You

When someone says or does something nice or helpful, smile and say thank you. Acknowledge the kindness of others. They will feel appreciated, and you will feel good. Gratitude strengthens social connections and makes relationships happier.  

Give

Saying thank you is easy and something everyone can and should do. Why not go the extra mile and donate time, money, or some things you no longer want or need to make someone’s life better? At the heart of gratitude is generosity and selflessness. 

Do Something You Love and Enjoy!

It’s hard to feel or be grateful when you deprive yourself. So try to make time for joy every day by doing something you love. Read for a few minutes, call a loved one, walk at sunset, listen to music, bake something, spend time with your pet, sing, paint, take your camera and snap some pictures. Just do something you enjoy! 

Do Something Nice for a Stranger

Savor and deepen the feelings of gratitude by experiencing it on a deeper level by doing something nice for a stranger. Offer help, hold the door, or smile. Or, if you’re in a position to do so, consider helping someone struggling financially by helping them out. Doing something nice helps them, makes the world better, and makes you feel good and more appreciative of your life and blessings. 

Celebrate Friends and Family

Connecting with friends and family reminds you of what’s most important in life. Call or text someone you love. They’ll love hearing from you! And you’ll feel warm all over inside. 

Wear A “No Complaining” Bracelet

Complaining blocks the flow of gratitude and creates negativity and pessimism. Unless you’re careful, it becomes a habit. One way to break this habit is by wearing a no complaining bracelet for thirty days. If you complain during that time, move it to your other wrist and start over. You might be surprised how hard it is to make it through thirty days without complaining, but by the end of the challenge, regardless of how many times you’ve had to start over, your mindset will have changed. You’ll have become much more grateful and find yourself focusing on your blessings and the good in people instead of your burdens and things people do that annoy you. 

Give Hand Written Thank You Notes

There’s something special about holding a thank you note in this digital age because it shows thought and effort. Get some nice stationary and notecards. Why not send a note a week? Your parents and grandparents will love this, and they will keep them to read again and again. At the very least, send a thank you note for the kind gifts, thoughts, and effort you receive.  

Compliments

Receive compliments graciously; give compliments freely. Watch someone’s whole spirit light up when you affirm something about them! Although it’s easier to give compliments than receive them, when someone compliments you, accept it graciously and say thank you. Please don’t do what many people do and negate the compliment with a self-deprecating comment; honor their gesture with genuine gratitude. When you compliment someone, have it be heartfelt without any strings attached; a compliment is a gift you give without expecting anything in return. 

Forgive

Release hurt, anger, resentment, frustration, and bitterness through forgiveness. Consider how those emotions hurt you and hold you back, keeping you stuck in feelings that don’t serve or support your dreams and goals. Forgive those who have hurt you; forgive yourself, too. Say the words out loud: “I forgive_____” or “I forgive myself for _________.” Be grateful for clean slates and second chances you give yourself and others. 

Invite gratitude into your life. Start by making it a habit until it becomes a part of who you are. Try one or more of these ten ideas today – perhaps challenge yourself to do ALL of them in one day! Invite gratitude into your heart and unlock your best life.