Gratitude

1. Gratitude is a practice: If you want to lose weight, you exercise; if you want a happier life, be more grateful of what you have. 

2. When you focus on what you have and appreciate it, you will live a happier life. 

3. Practice gratitude every day, and you’ll have more to be grateful for. 

4. Appreciate the smallest of things in life as it can lead to some of the biggest rewards. 

5. Start each day with a gratitude list. Name three things for which you are grateful. It helps to put things into perspective. 

6. Self-gratitude is often the hardest. Each day, write down something about yourself that you are grateful for. 

7. When you feel anxious or angry, take a closer look at nature. Nature has a way of soothing the soul. 

8. Express your gratitude daily to people in your life and watch your relationships flourish. 

9. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, take plenty of time to focus on what you do have. 

10. To be grateful you need to understand what you have. Acknowledge the hard times to develop a sense of appreciation. Without the bad or hard times, you would have nothing to compare the good times to. 

11. Use visual reminders, such as photos to trigger appreciation for what you have been able to experience in your life. 

12. Don’t focus on yourself but on others. Gratitude is being thankful for what others have done for you or on your behalf. 

13. When someone does something kind or thoughtful for you, Show your gratitude by returning the gift with a heart-felt, “thank you.” 

14. Don’t exaggerate the gratitude. When you express gratitude, keep it simple, honest, and to the point Then move on. When you go on and on, it can be embarrassing, which is counter productive.
     
    15. Thanking the people who helped you to accomplish something is wonderful. However, don’t downplay your role in your own success. If you have trouble accepting part of the credit, you may have low self-esteem. 

    
    

    16. Being able to see the positives is good. But, don’t gloss over a bad situation because you think you should be grateful for everything. Denying that there is a problem won’t fix anything or make you feel better. 

    
    

    17. Generosity and gratitude are different sides of the same coin. One side is what the giver feels and the other is what the receiver feels. Regardless of which you start with you’ll end up feeling both, which leads to a feeling of well-being. 
    
    

    18. If you want your kids to appreciate what they have and who they are, give them a good example to follow – you. Practice being grateful for what you have by taking care of those things and people. Your kids will imitate you. 

    
    

    19. Practice gratitude to increase empathy and reduce aggression. Grateful people tend to be more sensitive and empathetic towards others. They are also less likely to retaliate or try to get revenge when provoked. 

    
    
    20. Learn to appreciate the small things in life. It can make you more resilient and can help you overcome trauma.